GEORGIA REFUSES FROM BORDER DELIMITATION WITH AZERBAIJAN ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES
Azerbaijan Business Center
Dec 13 2010
Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The question of delimitation of the
Azerbaijani-Georgian border ran into religious matters.
Deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze of Georgia has stated that
today in Tbilisi that matter with the David Gareji monastery complex
does not enable to finish the delimitation of the Georgian-Azerbaijani
border.
“The issue of concession of the David Gareji monastery to Azerbaijan
will never be put on agenda,~T Kalandadze stated.
At the same time Georgia just demands to transfer this territory to
it without any kind of compensation.
~SWe haven~Rt reached agreement in connection with the delimitation,
but the issue of assignment of the monastery complex will never be
discussed,~T she said.
The historical monument of VI-VIII centuries, the David Gareji
monastery is located in the territory of Azerbaijan. The Georgian side
considers this monument its own historical and religious monument,
and Azerbaijan claims that it is a monument of Albanian culture
(Caucasian Albania) and belongs to the people of Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that on currently-occupied territory of Fizuli
region there is another Albanian monastery, where on tradition Mesrop
Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet, which became the basis for
the Georgian alphabet.
From: A. Papazian