RECONCILIATION MARCH IN TBILISI
Azg
4 March 05
A procession aimed at removing discords aroused in connection with
Armenian Surb Astvatsatsin church in Norashen was held in Tbilisi
yesterday.
Mari Mikoyan, head of Nor Serund NGO in Tbilisi, told daily Azg in a
telephoned interview that the NGO she spearheads and the National
Union of Georgia’s Youth Organizations organized a reconciliation
march to help Armenian and Georgian churches overcome problems they
face.
Few dozens of Armenians and Georgians started the march from St Zion
Georgian church, halted at Norashen Armenian church and then moved to
Surb Gevorg church where they were welcomed by the head of Georgia’s
Armenian diocese, bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian and father Abgar.
“The slogan we, the Armenian and Georgian young people, have chosen is
this: â=80=98 We live in Georgia and have no discords'”, Mari Mikoyan
said addingthat both churches blessed the procession participants.
“We want to prove that Armenians and Georgians have no
disagreements. This action was meant to explain that the issue around
Norashen should be solvedby the two churches and we, the NGOs, are
only mediators and are wishing to see a peaceful settlement”, Mikoyan
said.
The church of Norashen first appeared in the limelight in 1989 when
Georgia’s chauvinistic leader, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, and Ilya II
Catholicos set a goal to take hold of the church together with other
Armenian, Russian and Greek churches. The church served as a library
during the soviet rule. The books were taken out in 1995 and Georgian
priest, Tariel, started “repair” and “georgization” of the church. The
Armenians of Georgia and the late head ofthe Armenian diocese, Gevorg
Seraydarian, expressed their resentment to ex-president Eduard
Shevardnadze, Tbilisi mayor Niko Kelishvili and Georgian Catholicos
Ilya II.
The official Yerevan also intervened. Armenian embassy to Georgia sent
a note to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The ruckus over Norashen
church stopped for over 10 years as a result of various negotiations.
By Tatoul Hakobian
