From June 20–29, 2010, the Fourth International Russo-Georgian Poetry Festival took place in Georgia, reports Patriarchia.ru. The forum opened in Tbilisi; other Georgian cities, including Rustavi, Kutaisi, Poti, Batumi, and Kobuleti, also hosted the event. Over sixty authors—poets, translators, editors, and publishers from twenty-seven different countries participated in the forum, with the motto, "The world of poetry is a world without war."
One of the main themes of the festival was the sixty-fifth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which was marked this year. The program included seminars, round table discussions, creative meetings, literary evenings, and master classes for young Georgian poets who write in the Russian language.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia sent his best wishes to the organizers, participants, and guests of the festival.
On June 24, the Russian and Georgian poets of the forum were received by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilya II of Georgia at his residence. The festival attendees presented the leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church with an icon of Great Martyr George.
The participants addressed the people and leaders of Russia and Georgia, expressing their gratitude to both Patriarch Kirill and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilya for their blessings upon the festival, testifying that:
"The cultural roots which unite the Russian and Georgian people are still strong, and the relationship between Russia and Georgia are "doomed" to partnership and friendship. They have the same objective national interests.
· "A furthering of traditional cultural and civil interrelationship continues!
"Yes, relations between the two countries have entered a period of serious trials and disenchantment. At the same time, we make it clear that they are wrong who think that the triumph of anti-Russian sentiment in Georgia is irreversible, and that the virus of nationalism and the temptation of Westernism have destroyed all living historical connections between our peoples!"
"We cannot escape historical reality and the common fate of the people of Russia and Georgia, and the unique warmth of their relationship. In Soviet times, those Georgians and Russian who were alienated from the regime suffered together from unjust repression, struggling side-by-side against fascism, together created industries, and developed science and culture.
"We must turn to the sources, and to eternal values. It is important that we agree about our common past, and that this become the foundation of mutual understanding and good relations in the future.
"We believe that the people's moral sentiments, their ideals of goodness and human life which are inherent in our cultures and religions, give us the opportunity to overcome conflicts and find answers to questions that cannot be solved by political and economic pragmatism.
"An intense history with an unprecedented interweaving of peoples' fates, an enormous inter-dependence of cultures and literature all have roots many-centuries deep. We must do everything possible to broaden this cooperation; so that an economic, social, and cultural partnership might help us to spread our wings and enter upon a level of stable development."
The participants said that united efforts must be made by cultural scholars, historians, political scientist, and others, and that politicians must come together in order to find common sense solutions to problems of the day, with a sense of responsibility for the fate of future generations.
They said that the two countries must support each other, and together pit their priceless, centuries-long experience of mutual understanding and neighborly relations against the interests of divisive powers that set brother against brother for the sake of their own temporal gain.
They emphasized that, "Our strength is in understanding, unity, and mutual readiness to help each other!"
