His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, sent a message of greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on occasion of his 75th birthday.

He wrote: “Your Holiness! I’ve known you for a long time, and remember the great effort you made as the Head of the Department for External Church Relations, to make the Russian Orthodox Church grow and develop. I also remember the complicated situations you found yourself in when you took steps which seemed unacceptable to the state authorities at the time."

"The scope of your endeavor has grown immeasurably since the time you were vested with the ministry of a Patriarch. Over this period of time, social, missionary, church building, and enlightenment activities have been raised to a new and higher level, which is so important in our difficult times."

"I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to you and to the Russian Orthodox Church for your official recognition of Abkhazia and Tzkhinval as inseparable parts of the Georgian Orthodox Church, in keeping with Church canon law, though it may be contrary to the current political situation.”

The Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church noted that despite some complicated issues in bilateral relations which still remain unresolved, the hope for improvement is there, and His Highness and Beatitude is most sincere in wishing Patriarch Kirill all the very best.