InternationalArmenians protest at Georgian Embassy in Yerevan
Published: Friday November 27, 2009
St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church (1356) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photolure
Protesting against the destruction of Armenian churches in Georgia . Hayk Badalyan / Photolure
Yerevan - On November 24 a protest was organized by Armenian youth in front of the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan against the destruction of Armenian churches in Georgia.
One of the organizers of the protest was the Student Council of Yerevan State University. Tsolak Hakobyan, the chair of the council, told Arminfo that they were protesting against "cultural genocide" taking place in Georgia with regard to Armenian church property. "The Armenian youth is resolute and we are going to fight to the end to ensure that our cultural achievements are not destroyed by Georgian functionaries in the future," Mr. Hakobyan said.
Students from Yerevan State Economic University and Yerevan State Pedagogical University also joined the protest, which demanded a meeting with the Georgian ambassador. The ambassador refused to meet with the protestors.
St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church (built in 1356) in Tbilisi, Georgia, has recently collapsed. Under Georgian law, the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church has no legal status and thus all Armenian churches are under the jurisdiction of the Georgian church. The Supreme Court of Armenia called on the Georgian authorities and the Georgian Orthodox Church to take steps to provide the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church with the status of a legal entity and to return Armenian churches under its jurisdiction.
In the meantime, Armenia's Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan had expressed deep concern over the collapse of the church and requested from the Georgian culture minister a clarification on that minister's position and what steps were being taken. According to Armenpress, Nicoloz Ruruay, Georgia's minister of culture, protection of monuments, and sports has said that his ministry has taken the necessary steps toward the reconstruction of the church, inviting Armenian architects to help restore it.
Supreme Spiritual Council issues statement on the collapse of the church
Earlier, on November 20, Catholicos Karekin II presided over a meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council in Etchmiadzin. Discussed during the meeting was the collapse of the St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church in Tbilisi and the following statement was released:
"The Supreme Spiritual Council regrets to confirm that the St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church (built in 1356) in Tbilisi, Georgia, has collapsed.
"The Supreme Spiritual Council regretfully states that years of effort on the part of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to regulate the legal standing of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia and secure the return of Armenian churches, through dialogue with the authorities of the Republic of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church, were unsuccessful. The collapse of the St. Gevork of Mughni Armenian Church is only one of the consequences of the unwarranted delays exhibited by the Georgian side in the handling of the aforementioned issues. The authorities of the Republic of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church are wholly responsible for the collapse of the church.
"The indifference exhibited by the Georgian state toward the preservation of Armenian holy sites does not correspond in any way with: (1) the establishment of good-neighborly relations, (2) fidelity to universal human values, (3) respect for the rights of ethnic minorities, (4) the constant statements made by the Georgian state regarding the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of their ethnic minorities, and (5) the Georgian state's accepted obligations before the international community.
"The Supreme Spiritual Council calls on the authorities of the Republic of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church to immediately implement steps to grant legal status to the Armenian Diocese of Georgia and to return the Armenian churches in Georgia to the Armenian Diocese of Georgia for the normal functioning of national-ecclesiastical life for the Georgian-Armenian community and the safe preservation of Armenian holy sites."
