Speaker: 1700th anniversary is not merely jubilee date, it is milestone in cultural biography and national continuity of Georgian state

“Today, we are marking an event that shaped Georgia’s path of development, formed its cultural identity and defined its place in civilization,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said while addressing the international symposium “God, Homeland, Human.”

Papuashvili noted that Georgia had stood at the crossroads of empires for centuries. Although circumstances had changed repeatedly, he said, the choice made by the Georgian people to embrace Christianity had remained unchanged.

“Georgia has lost its statehood on numerous occasions. Cities have been destroyed, monasteries burned and villages emptied by the enemy. Yet no one has been able to take away from the Georgian people the spiritual and cultural foundation that enabled us to preserve our identity even during the most difficult periods.

“Therefore, Georgia’s history is not merely a history of survival. It is also a history of loyalty to our faith, language, culture and the idea of statehood,” Papuashvili said.

He noted that the world was once again experiencing an era of major change, with technology, economic relations and the international order evolving rapidly.

“However, as history has taught us repeatedly, societies that preserve their identity are the ones that stand firmest in times of change,” he said.

According to Papuashvili, the 1,700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion is not merely a celebration of the past, but also an opportunity to reflect on the responsibility to preserve the heritage passed down through the dedication of countless generations.

“It is our responsibility to pass on to future generations a Georgia that is not only economically strong, but also strong in its historical memory, national consciousness and faith,” he said.

Papuashvili added that a state’s power in the present day is measured by its economic, technological and military strength, but history applies a different standard.

“Only those states that preserve their identity can endure through the centuries,” he said.