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21 June 2005

Presentation of the Council of Religions

Today, on June 21, presentation of the Council of Religions was held in
Courtyard Marriott Hotel. A memorandum was signed at the presentation.
According to the memorandum, representatives of different confession
undertake the responsibility to cooperate and coordinate in the filed of
social, ecological and human rights issues. Leaders of almost all religions
represented in Georgia, Tbilisi Mayor Zurab Tchiaberashvili, Chairman of the
Parliamentary Committee of Internal Affairs Kote Gabashvili and Minister of
Education and Science Kakha Lomaia welcomed the establishment of the
Council.

Representative of the Office of the Patriarch of Georgia archpriest Mikael
Botkoveli addressed the gathered society and underlined the positive impacts
of the establishment of the Council.

Ombudsman of Georgia congratulated everyone with this day and expressed the
hope, that establishment of the Religions Council significantly increased
the level of tolerance and religious freedom of Georgia.

Memorandum of the Council of Religions at the Public Defender’s Office

I
As the representatives of the religious communities in Georgia we feel
responsibility to respect the dignity, freedom and human rights of each
person; we remain faithful to the experience of tolerance which is the
beauty of the historical past of our country. With this respect, we
acknowledge the local and global tasks and challenges of modernity which our
past and future required to be resolved.
The Soviet Union has collapsed, but there were offences against human
rights in Georgia for many years. Religious intolerance, extremism and
xenophobia became common practices. State policy openly showed
discrimination in its attitude towards religious minorities.
Corruption reached a peak. Drugs, trafficking, and robbery became
widespread; the criminal world became more influential.
Military conflicts have made many of our fellow Georgians refugees and
homeless. Economic crisis, a difficult social environment, and unemployment
have made many citizens leave their homeland and find their refuge abroad.
The most alarming aspect of the situation is to see so many homeless,
hungry, helpless and suffering people, especially the elderly and children.
Alienation and aggression became a hallmark of our own attitude towards
each-other and the world outside us.
The Rose Revolution appeared to be succeeded by notable improvements but
there still remain much to be done. The real freedom and prosperity of each
citizen, society and the State requires the consolidation of our efforts.
We should feel that we must support building a democratic and legitimate
state; we ought to be actively involved in the process of setting up civil
rights and a tolerant environment; to seek the peaceful solutions for
existing conflicts; to take up social, moral and ecological
responsibilities.
We can see the significance of directing our united efforts towards
defending international norms of human freedom and rights and the principles
of the Georgian Constitution.

II
As the representatives of the different confessions in Georgia, we express
our solidarity to each person, members of the Government and organizations
in resolving the above mentioned tasks and challenges and declare our will
to co-operate.
At the same time we take into consideration those tragic consequences which
were brought about by abolishing of boundaries between politics and religion
and also by the persecution of religion by the state which brought into
being totalitarian regimes, fundamentalist ideologies, terror,
discrimination, censorship, and nihilism. We oppose any attempt for use
religion as an instrument of political interest and controversies.
We regret that hatred, intolerance, extremism, terrorism, and wars have
been waged on a religious basis. We declare that religions must undertake
the mission of peacemaking, and instead of deepening opposition they must
unite people in collaboration around the eternal common values for all
humanity.
As the representatives of religions and confessions in Georgia, we are
ready to contribute to this mission and to support triumph over the local
and global crises and conflicts through the way of reconciliation and
peaceful coexistence.

III
We support the Public Defender’s initiative in establishing the Council of
Religions in order to resolve the mentioned tasks as far as they are
acceptable to all. The institution of a public defender, its significance
and authority is a precise resource which can serve as an effective
intermediary between the state and individuals, majorities and minorities
and unite them around basic values.
As a result of all of these factors we establish the Council of Religions
at the Public Defender of Georgia and we adopt the responsibility of holding
dialogue between each-other and society to respond to problems and events,
make proposals to the Public Defender and Government bodies, to bring
together the social, cultural, humanitarian, peacemaking, protection of
human rights and ecology without abusing our cultural and religious values,
defending the Georgian Constitution and the International norms of human
freedom and rights in an atmosphere of collaboration, respect, and
solidarity.
Despite the fact that religious differences between the members of the
Council are often almost diametrically opposed, we take responsibility to
avoid creating an arena for religious opposition in our work. The basis of
our participation in the Council first of all is to protect the personal
dignity and freedom of human beings and to give confidence to the spirit of
tolerance in our society.
We are united in one common principle: ‘Communicate with the other in a way
that you would like the others to communicate with you’.

The memorandum was signed by :

1. Baha’i Community in Georgia – Eiman Rohani
2. Evangelical Church – Pastor Zaal Tkeshelashvili
3. Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia – Presiding Bishop Malkhaz
Songulashvili
4. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia – Bishop Andreas Stoekle
5. Pentecostal Church – Russian Community – Nikoloz Kalutski
6. Pentecostal Church – Georgian Community – Oleg Khubashvili
7. Evangelical Church – the Word of Life – Shmagi Chankvetadze
8. Roman Catholic Church in Georgia – Bishop Guizeppe Pazzotto
9. Hare Krishna Temple of Consciousness – Antimoz Natsvlishvili
10. Church of Seventh Day Adventists – Emzar Chrikishvili
11. Acting Chief Rabbi of Georgia – Abimileq Rosenblatt
12. Church of Latter Day Saints – Viktor Khatsevich
13. Representative of Chief Rabbi of Lubovich Khabad in Georgia Abraham
Mikhelashvili – Rafael Messingisser
14. Salvation Army – Giorgi Salarishvili
15. Sozar Subari – Ombudsman of Georgia.

Head of Muslim Mufti Division of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara Mufti
Bezhan ( Berik) Bolkvadze of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara sent the
Council a letter of congratulation and called the establishment of the
Religions Council a very worthwhile initiative and noted, that the aim of
the of the Council is to foster the dialogue among the peoples of different
faiths residing in Georgia, to protect human rights and freedoms guaranteed
by the Georgian Constitution, to establish such way of life by respecting
religions and traditions of each others as to eliminate hostility and
intolerance, killing of people and terrorism, adultery and trafficking,
stealing and brigandage.

Despite the support, the Office of the Patriarch of Georgia abstained from
signing the memorandum.

Eparchy of Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia also refrained from signing
the memorandum as the archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian is not in Tbilisi right
now.

Negotiations are carried on with the religious leaders of the New Apostolic
Church and Yezidi Kurds.