The visit of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit Bagration Muhranbatoni, Head of the Royal House of Georgia, to Montenegro and the Metropolitanate of the Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church, began on 4. September 2021. with a working lunch, which was prepared in His honour in Villa “Goritsa”, the official representative building and residency of the Government of Montenegro.
On this occasion, the host to His Highness and Her Highness Princess Irina was the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr. Dr. Dritan Abazovich. At this working lunch, the Prime Minister was accompanied by his associates: Ms. Ana Rashovich, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Internal Organization and Personnel Policy; Mr. Miodrag Lakovich, Advisor to the Prime Minister for National Security and Mr. Ivo Shoch, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Legal Affairs.
On the other hand, Their Highnesses have been accompanied by Reverend Deacon Hadzi Nenad M. Jovanovich, Chaplain of the Georgian Royal Orders in Serbia and Monsieur Henri Durand de Grossouvre, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In an emphatically cordial and constructive atmosphere, on this occasion, very useful talks were held on the prospects for the development of relations between the Royal House and the State with an emphasis on cooperation in the field of tourism, investments in transport, winemaking etc.
The high-ranking interlocutors agreed that the peoples of Montenegro and Georgia are connected by religious, cultural, historical, geopolitical, economic and similarities of national mentality, which represent an excellent starting point for their further development and advancement.
In addition, Dr. Abazovich expressed his enthusiasm and satisfaction with the fact that the immediate reason for His Highness’s visit to Montenegro was the ceremony of enthronement of His Eminence k.k. Joanikije II, Metropolitan of Montenegro, Littoral, Zeta, Brda and Skenderija and Exarch of the Holy Throne of Pech. In that sense, and in connection with the unpleasant political tensions that arose on this occasion, mutual consent and firm conviction was emphasized that one of the main tasks of the Government of Montenegro is to protect religious freedoms and ensure the right of the Serbian Orthodox Church to enthrone its hierarchs in Montenegro in accordance with its ancient traditions and the centuries-old ecclesiastical order and jurisdiction.
Dr. Abazovich was especially pleased with the intention and gracious will of His Highness to award His Eminence the Metropolitan with the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of our Lord Jesus Christ in the degree of the Great Cross, on this momentous and historical occasion.
