On December 15 the delegation of the Yerevan Municipality headed by Mayor Taron Margaryan arrived on a two-day official visit in Tbilisi. On the first day of the visit the top persons of two capital cities, Tbilisi and Yerevan, and accompanying people visited Surb Etchmiadizn Church in Tbilisi. Gigi Ugulava and Taron Margaryan, the members of Armenian delegation - Secretary of the Yerevan Municipality’s Staff Sergei Makarian, high officials Armen Yeremyan, Sergey Mkrtchyan, Natalia Lapauri, Head of Press Service Harutyun Hakobyan and others attended Sunday Divine Liturgy at the Armenian church, which was celebrated under the leadership of the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan. Priest Husik Harutyunyan conducted the divine service.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy the Primate of the Diocese welcomed the high-ranking guests. His Grace stressed the centuries-old friendship between two ancient cities, recalling the love and respect that are mutually nurtured by the population of the two cities to the art, culture and traditions of neighboring nations. His Grace mentioned the Armenian traits in the town image, where already in the beginning of the 20^th century 26 churches had been operating and Armenians as talented builders served to the welfare and development of the favorite city.

The Head of the Diocese expressed his gratitude to the Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, underlining the support of the Municipality and its leaders in the construction of the “Hayartun” Center in particular.

Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan expressed his satisfaction to the Mayor of Yerevan, under whose competent and dedicated leadership the capital of all Armenians each day becomes more beautiful.

After that the guests visited the “Hayartun” Center, where the leaders of the creative unions, functioning under the auspices of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, and the members of the Board of Trustees welcomed them. The guest visited St. Movses Khorenatsi Kindergarten, Headmistress Eugenia Markosyan. The children sang the national anthems of Armenia and Georgia for the high-ranking guest, after that at the Saint Prophet Eghia Sunday School the guest listened to the declamation on Armenian and Georgian of people of different age, who are separated from their mother tongue.

The guest representing two capital cities with interest contemplated the exhibition entitled “Portrait - XXI”, which was organized in Calouste Gulbenkian Hall, under the auspices of the “Hayartun” Center, and initiated by the Union of Armenian Artists of Georgia (Chairman Meruzhan Shahumyan) and several unions of Georgian artists.

Responsible for the cultural department at the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and the coordinator of the “Hayartun” Center Levon Chidilyan opened the meeting with Gigi Ugulava and Taron Margaryan. He recalled the pass of the center, told about the activities of 15 groups, almost 600 students visiting the center every day, as well as about the active participation of the “Hayartun” Center in Tbilisoba Festival and in every festival organized in Armenia.

The Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava addressed the audience; he spoke about the multinational population of the city and said that he is proud to be Tbilisi native. He marked the centuries-old friendship between two Christian nations – Armenians and Georgians, and called for further progress towards the path of historically developed friendship between the nations.

After that the Mayor of Yerevan underlined that the cooperation of two cities develops for the benefit of two nations and strengthening of centuries-old friendship. He highly praised the patriotic activities conducted at the “Hayartun” Center, the support of the authorities in the development of the Armenian culture and Armenian creative work in Tbilisi, and named the activities of the center the brilliant illustration of Armenian-Georgian friendly relations.

The Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan highly appreciated the visit of two Mayors to Surb Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi and the “Hayartun” Center, and presented to the Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan and the Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava the paintings of Old Tbilisi by famous Tbilisi Armenian artist Tengiz Mikoyants.

The Mayor of Tbilisi, his colleague from Yerevan and the delegation members inspected the new glass recycling plant in Ponichala, which meets all international standards and is equipped with modern facilities. The company was created through the Armenian-Georgian investment, according to businessman Samvel Aghekyan, it employs nearly 150 people and the products are exported to abroad.

The same day the Mayor of Tbilisi showed to the Mayor of Yerevan the Old Tbilisi and Abanotubani.