In the old Tbilisi there is an Orthodox church, an Armenian church, a Catholic church, a mosque and a synagogue next to each other, the Prime Minister of Georgia said this at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest.

“Let me be clear – indeed, majority of the Georgia’s population is Orthodox, but our Catholics, Muslims, and Jews, along with our ancestors, had created our great history and are now creating its present. This history of peaceful coexistence and cooperation is very dear to us. Back in the 11th century, our greatest King David the Builder had been visiting the mosque on religious holidays to show his respect for Muslims. By the way, Georgia is a unique country also in a way that Shia and Sunni Muslims, whether Georgians or Azerbaijanis, pray in the same mosque.

In the historic old Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, there is an Orthodox church, an Armenian church, a Catholic church, a mosque and a synagogue next to each other, which shows the historical tolerance in our country.

It must be noted that Jews, who lived in Georgia before Christianity, were never persecuted. The tradition of Georgian-Jewish relations, which goes back 26 centuries, has been given the status of a “monument of intangible cultural heritage”, which represents the greatest recognition of unique friendly coexistence of our nations through centuries.

Hence, tolerance is our unique tradition. And, the threat is not the religion, minorities, or different opinion, but rather those, who are without faith or values, armed with cynicism, often in the name of religion, democracy, and freedom – actually opposing freedom and truth”, - said Irakli Garibashvili.