Vatican official supports Georgia’s free choice

A Vatican official believes free choice is a vital part of democracy and is supporting Georgia’s efforts to incorporate free choice into its decision-making processes.

Georgia’s Speaker of Parliament David Usupashvili met State Secretary of the Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Italy yesterday as part of his working visit. The sides discussed bilateral relations and the geo-political difficulties in the Caucasus region.

"We spoke about those relations that are traditionally important for Georgia and that the Vatican is an influential actor in the world. We also spoke about conflicts. Cardinal Parolin wanted to hear detailed information about the situation in Georgia,” Usupashvili said.

Georgia’s Parliament Speaker noted the discussion also touched upon the relationship in Georgian between the Church and the state.

"We agreed that policy without spirituality and values cannot be based on interests only. We also agreed that the state is administered with the Constitution and laws and that people in decision-making should be free,” he said.

Usupashvili said the Cardinal expressed his strong support for the free choice of Georgia.

While in Italy Georgia’s Parliament Speaker also met with heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in the Vatican.

"They asked about Georgia and the region. The unfortunate events in Ukraine reminded everyone about what happened in Georgia [in 2008] and they asked many questions about this, such as what experience we learned and what our future plans were.”