Georgians farewell country’s second President

The body of Georgia’s former President Eduard Shevardnadze’s is lying in state at the country’s main cathedral.

The late President’s body was taken to Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi today.

Construction on the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which is also the third tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world, began in 1995 when Shevardnadze was in office.

People are able to pay their respects to the country’s second president and former Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union at the cathedral from today until Sunday afternoon.

At 3pm on Sunday July 12, Shevardnadze will be buried in the grounds of his family estate in Tbilisi next to the remains of his late wife Nanuli Tsagareishvili, as requested in his will.

The ex-President will be buried with military honours. Foreign guests are expected to attend his funeral including former US Secretary of State James Baker, Germany’s ex-Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Hans-Dietrich Genscher and his wife Barbara Schmidt Genscher.

Former President of Estonia Arnold Ruutel, former President of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbayeva, Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan Ogtay Asadov, Armenian Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan, Federal Ministry of Justice of Austria Wolfgang Brandstetter and Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan Takao Makino are also expected to attend.

Shevardnadze died on July 7 at the age of 86.