Head of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC), Patriarch Ilia II, will visit Moscow on November 18-25 upon the invitation of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Ilia II will participate in the events marking the 70th birthday of Russian Patriarch Kirill and will perform the Joint Patriarchal Liturgy together with other Heads of the Orthodox Churches also invited to Moscow. 

There are no official reports on whether the Georgian Patriarch will meet Russian officials in Moscow. It will be the Georgian Patriarch’s fifth visit to Russia after the 2008 war. During those visits, Patriarch Ilia II met Russia’s former and incumbent Presidents, Dimitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin.