Georgia marks 2,600-year-old friendship of Georgians and Jewish

People throughout Georgia and Israel are celebrating a special bond between the two countries that dates back thousands of years.

An official Israeli delegation as well as famous writers, poets and public figures visited Georgia to celebrate the 2,600 anniversary of Georgia-Israel friendship on October 20-22.

An Israeli delegation consisting of 130 people representing the country’s executive and legislative authority were involved in the visit and participated in the anniversary event.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili held a working dinner with Israel’s Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver.

The head of the Government of Georgia thanked his guest for participating in festive events that marked the long-standing friendship between the two countries.

"I am really glad that we host you within the festive events of the 26th Century Georgian-Israeli anniversary. The importance of this friendship is invaluable for us and we wish to keep this history alive for future generations in Georgia and Israel," Prime Minister Garibashvili said.

Moreover, a Georgian-Israeli business forum will be held as part of the festivities, stated the PM’s press service.

Two days of festivities marking the friendship will also include the opening of the renovated David Baazov Museum of History of Jews of Georgia. In 1951 during the anti-Semite movement in the Soviet Union the museum was abolished and thousands of items from its funds were redistributed among other museums and storages. Currently the museum housed only a small number of items. After the ongoing reorganization, the museum will receive back its items from other museums.

To strengthen the friendship between the two nations, famous Georgian poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin [Vephhistkaosani] by Shota Rustaveli has been published into Hebrew.

The agenda of the events also included a concert of classical music and a concert with participation of Georgian artists and folk bands.