NATIONAL CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT URGES YEREVAN NOT TO YIELD TO PROVOCATION

Interfax
Dec 11 2008
Russia

Tbilisi, December 11, Interfax – Several dozen of representatives
of the National Christian Movement held an action near the Armenian
embassy in Tbilisi on Thursday.

Certain forces in Armenia have held a several-month-long "provocative
campaign aimed at the return to the Armenian Church of several churches
of indefinite belonging located in Georgia," movement leader Giorgi
Andriadze said.

"If these forces have the right to demand the return of Armenian
temples, we have the right to demand the return of Georgian temples
in Armenia. Yet our action urges our Armenian brothers not to yield
to the provocation for fear of breaking the status quo and causing
very negative events," he said.

In the words of Andriadze, there are up to ten Georgian temples dating
back to the 10-11th centuries in northern Armenia, and the Georgian
Orthodox Church has no jurisdiction over them.

More than 2,000 Armenian students protested against an encroachment
on Armenian churches in Georgia in Yerevan on December 3.

Two tombs of the Armenian benefactors Tamamshevs were profaned at the
initiative of Georgian priest Tariel Sikinchelashvili on the premises
of the St. Norashen Church in Tbilisi on November 16.

"The problem of Armenian temples in Georgia should be resolved in a
dialog between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox
Church," Armenian Diaspora Minister Granush Akopian said.

"Yet there is still no decision concerning the status of Armenian
temples in Georgia," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress