Marking Off Two-Day Visit, EAM S Jaishankar Unveils Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Georgia

On Saturday, Union External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani inaugurated a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Georgia's Tbilisi Park.

Dr S Jaishankar travelled to Tbilisi for a two-day official visit on Friday. Zalkaliani was there to greet him.

Reportedly, Dr S Jaishankar met with his Georgian counterpart, David Zalkaliani, earlier in the day, to address economic cooperation, tourism, commerce, and connectivity between the two nations.

Expressing the glorious moment, the Union External Affairs Minister wrote in a tweet, "A fitting end to a remarkable tour. VPM/FM @DZalkaliani joined me in launching the Mahatma Gandhi statue in a famous Tbilisi park."

"It was an excellent discussion. We talked about economic collaboration, tourism, trade, and connectivity. Our friendship is going great. There are several significant Indian projects in Georgia," stated the Union Minister.

Furthermore, Dr S Jaishankar presented the Holy Relic of St. Queen Ketevan to the Georgian government and people at a ceremony attended by His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

St. Queen Ketevan was a Georgian queen who died as a martyr in the 17th century. On the basis of mediaeval Portuguese chronicles, her relics were discovered in 2005 at the St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, India.

He tweeted about it, saying, "Returned from Georgia with a lasting sense of its Goa connection."

"It was an honour to represent India in the event marking the return of St. Queen Ketevan's sacred relics. Sincerely thank the people of Goa for looking after Georgia's precious heritage. The event in the Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral moved me," he concluded.