“How can an NGO, or any politician, at home or abroad, offer condolences to the Georgian people over the death of the Patriarch, when they know full well that tomorrow they will have to take part in a campaign against the Church?” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Imedi LIVE.

The Prime Minister believes it is the one and only reason that neither NGOs nor certain politicians could bring themselves to express their condolences to the Georgian people on the occasion of the Patriarch’s passing.

“Offering condolences to the people of Georgia would have been politically advantageous for them, and yet they could not do it. These are the very forces that have been planning anti-Church campaigns in Georgia. That agenda has not been abandoned. Tomorrow, they will need to continue such campaigns; tomorrow, they will again need to confront the Church and other institutions that play a decisive role in consolidating Georgian statehood.

They looked ahead, saw what campaigns lie in store, and understood that any statement, any expression of condolences, would directly contradict the plans they are bound to carry out. These people are agents; these foreign and domestic politicians are an agency. So how can an NGO, or any politician inside or outside the country, offer condolences to the Georgian people over the Patriarch’s death, when they know full well that tomorrow they must join a campaign against the Church? That is the one and only reason neither the NGOs could bring themselves to offer condolences to the Georgian people, nor could their friends abroad,” the Prime Minister declared.