Patriarch Irinej in his speech has noted that the businessman from South Ossetia, living in Moscow, Gela Valiev accidentally learned about the restoration of the Serbian Patriarch's residence and took the initiative for assistance.
"Thanks to people like Gela Valiev, are being established stronger relations with the Serbian Orthodox world, and good deeds are remembered forever," - said the Holy Patriarch.
In turn, Valiev thanked Patriarch Irinej, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the entire Orthodox Serbian people for such a high award.
On the invitation of Patriarch of Serbia Irinej Gela Valiev participated in several events in the framework of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill in Serbia.
November 14, Gela Valiev visited Russian necropolis in Belgrade, the place of Europe's largest burial of Russian soldiers killed during the First World War and, together with the Head of the Army of the Orthodox Mission Smykov laid flowers at the monument to Russian soldiers. The sculpture is in the center of the city, where in the beginning of the last century was the embassy of the Russian Empire.
November 16, Gela Valiev also attended the Divine Liturgy of the Russian and Serbian Church in the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade.
As a true Orthodox businessman Gela Valiev administers a lot of charity to Serbian Orthodox Church, thanks to his help are being restored the Orthodox churches of Serbia and Slovenia, assisted the Russian school in Ljubljana (Slovenia), implemented many international missionary and cultural projects.
Gela Valiev never forgets his homeland. In his native village of Kornis in Znaur district of South Ossetia, where are living his parents, he is building a chapel, provides sponsorship assistance to the Tskhinval old people's home "Care".
It should be noted that the highest award of the Serbian Orthodox Church – I degree Order of St. Sava- was given to only 11 people. Among them the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, Minister and General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn and other prominent figures.
