When the statements of Iran’s ambassador in Georgia about “Queen Ketevan” elicit a response

🔸The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ali Mojani, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tbilisi, after posts circulated on social media about Queen Ketevan, a historical and revered figure of the Orthodox Church of this country.

🔸Ketevan, the queen of the Kakheti palace in eastern Georgia, was captured during the military campaigns of Shah Abbas of Safavid Persia in this region in 1614 and transferred to Iran. Based on the historically accepted account in Georgia, after about a decade in captivity, she refused Shah Abbas’s request to change her religion to Islam and was tortured and killed in Shiraz in 1624.

🔸Later, the Georgian Orthodox Church declared Queen Ketevan a “saint,” and she—known in Georgia as “Saint Ketevan the Martyr”—holds a special place in the country’s history and religious tradition.

🔸Georgia’s service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that on October 3—on the eve of the anniversary of the commemoration of Queen Ketevan—Mr. Mojani published a photo of himself in front of the Iranian embassy, with the image of this queen featured on the building’s façade.

🔸In this post, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic said there are “different accounts” regarding the history of Iran-Georgia relations, and announced that he would soon publish his initial findings based on Iranian and Georgian sources.

🔸He emphasized that these statements reflect his personal view as a history researcher and do not constitute the official position of the Islamic Republic.

🔸Read the full report on the website of Radio Farda.