Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced a decision to erect a monument to Erekle II in the Georgia capital.
The monument will be built on the Kakheti Highway, near the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Tbilisi. A sketch by Merab Merabishvili, an artist and sculptor, would be used for the design of the monument.
Kobakhidze said the initiative aimed to honour the “significant role” played by the King in “preserving Georgia's Christian identity, which is an integral part of its European identity“.
The PM emphasised the duty of the Georgian Government to “pay due respect to the history of Georgia and all its heroes“, particularly those who contributed to “preserving the national and religious identity of the country“.
Erekle II is a monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty who reigned as the King of Kakheti between 1744-1762 and of Kartli and Kakheti kingdom between 1762-1798.