“On behalf of the Government of Georgia, I commit that the government will always stand guard over our traditional values and national interests. I congratulate you on this day,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressing the society in Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral on the occasion of Family Purity and Respect for Parents Day honoured on May 17 in Georgia.

The PM highlighted the significance of Georgian society’s unity around traditional values and remarked that some forces opposed them by shaping false ideologies, but the government was committed to fighting for the protection of national values alongside the Georgian Orthodox Church.

“I congratulate all and each of you on the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents. It is significant that the nation and clergy, the government and church as well as society stand together around our national and traditional values.

I want to express my gratitude to Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch, His Holiness and Beatitude, Ilia II, who declared this day as the date of special significance in our country and I want to extend my gratitude to  Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Shio who led this important procession.

I once again want to underscore the significance of unity. I want to congratulate all of you who joined the procession and those who did not participate but watched it from outside. We need to address those, who did not join the march due to their viewpoints. We have to remember them with love and wish them to share the values, which brought us together today, tomorrow or in the future. I would like to see them as participants when we hold this procession next year.

The fight for traditional values continues. This fight is complex. There are strong forces, which confront traditional values and create force ideologies and values. Our duty and responsibility are to fight for the protection of national values alongside the Georgian Orthodox Church,” he concluded.

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II declared May 17 as the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents in 2014.

Since 2024, the Government of Georgia has declared May 17 a public holiday to honour the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents.