Indian MEA to visit Georgia, bring remains of St. Queen Ketevan

10:43, 09.07.2021

Indian Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Georgia on July 9-10. The Minister will bring the remains of St. Queen Ketevan the Martyr to Tbilisi.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the high-ranking guest will hold meetings with President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava.

Based on current regulations, India does not consider transferring the historical monuments, including sacred artefacts discovered during archaeological excavations on its territory, to another country, as it is part of India’s cultural heritage. The Georgian side held negotiations with the Indian government over the remains of the Georgian martyr queen.

The Queen Ketevan’s remains once travelled to Georgia in 2017-2018 but returned to India and were kept at the Goa Archaeological Museum. This time, they will stay in Georgia for good.

By - Elene Dobordjginidze

Society

Queen Ketevan the Martyr

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar