Kavkazsky Uzel , Russia
May 7 2019
Ceding monastery to Georgia ruled out in Azerbaijan
by Inna Kukudzhanova
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Russian]
The Azerbaijani part of the Davit Gareji cave [monastery] complex is related to the history of Christianity in Azerbaijan and it cannot be handed over to Georgia even in exchange for other territories, the Baku-based politicians and historians questioned by the Kavkazsky Uzel said. In Georgia, there are forces trying to aggravate the border conflict, but the authorities of both countries are not interested in this, experts believe.
As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, for several days in April, monks, pilgrims, and tourists were not able to get to Udabno Monastery, which is part of Davit Gareji complex, [which comprises more than 20 monasteries and which begins in about 60 kilometres south-west of Tbilisi and stretches out for about 60 kilometres], because Azerbaijani border guards had blocked the way. On 4 May, Georgian activists formed a human chain along the path leading to this part of the monastery complex. The action was held under the supervision of border guards of the two countries. From 7 May, activists of the Strength is in Unity movement decided to begin patrolling the territory of the Georgian monastery complex of Davit Gareji to hinder the Azerbaijani border guards from blocking the way to the monastery [Dispute over the monastery complex continues because the issue of border demarcation has not been resolved between the countries.]
Davit Gareji territory has military and strategic importance
The process of border demarcation is going to take long, as there is no agreement of opinions about where it should run, the head of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, Valeri Chechelashvili, said. "In the Soviet times, there was an administrative border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. However, over the years, it ran along different lines on different maps," he told Kavkazsky Uzel. Chechelashvili emphasised that no agreement had been reached on 20-30 per cent of the border.
Before Georgia's sovietisation, the territory, where one part of the complex is located, was part of Tiflis Governorate [of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire] and it was handed over to Azerbaijan by [Soviet leader] Josef Stalin and [his close associate] Sergo Orjonikidze [both Georgians], Director of the Institute for Strategic and International Studies Kakha Gogolashvili told Kavkazsky Uzel.
The Davit Gareji complex, one part of which has proven to be on the territory of Azerbaijan, is important for Georgia not only from the religious point of view, but also as a political monument: It was founded in the 6th century, when Georgia's unification as one kingdom began, Vakhtang Maisaia, PhD in military and political studies, told Kavkazsky Uzel. Apart from this, the complex is located on a strategic height, which gives a military advantage to the controlling side, he emphasised. "The two issues – historic and strategic – are of equal importance for Georgia," Vakhtang Maisaia emphasised.
Azerbaijan considers monastery as part of its history
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the administrative borders between the former Soviet republics were recognised as interstate borders, Executive Director of [Azerbaijan's] Republican Alternative party and a native of Georgia Natiq Cafarli said. "It was decided to carry on delimitation and demarcation on the basis of these borders. Azerbaijan and Georgia also took control of the territories on both sides of the borders. The line runs in such a way that it leaves one part of the complex in Georgia and the other in Azerbaijan," Cafarli told Kavkazsky Uzel.
He pointed out that the Georgian authorities did not voice the demand for handing over the monastery. However, religious, public, and political figures do speak about this. Handing the monastery over to Georgia is unacceptable to Azerbaijan. The military and strategic importance of the territories is one of the reasons, Cafarli emphasised. "To begin with, this is territory after all and no country in the world squanders territories. Second, the territory has strategic importance, because it is at a height. It is not without a reason that the mountain range is called Kesikcidag, which is translated from Azerbaijani as 'Watch Mountain,'" Natiq Cafarli explained. He added that Azerbaijan considers Udabno as its historic and cultural heritage. "This monument belongs to the Christian state of Caucasian Albania, which existed in the early Middle Ages," Cafarli said.
Azerbaijan is interested in retaining this important monument, he said. "For its part, Azerbaijan can take the monument under protection, financing all restoration and reparation work with the involvement of famous specialists. Both sides can jointly use the complex. Along with its religious function, the monument should be open for Georgian monks, clergymen, and tourists, with the exception of very short periods.
Zalimxan Mammadli, who is the head of the Baku-based Borcali association of Azerbaijanis of Georgian descent, believes that the issue of the Davit Gareji monastery complex is being artificially aggravated in Georgia. "Provoking Georgia into a conflict with Azerbaijan is aimed to undermine bilateral relations, causing problems to the implementation of joint energy and transport projects in the West's direction bypassing Russia. It goes without saying that Armenia's interest in this is also present," he said.
If territorial claims are laid to Azerbaijan, reasons will be found for counter claims, Mammadli believes. "This is restoration of historic Turkic place-names of settlements in Georgia, which are populated by [ethnic] Azerbaijanis, and granting cultural autonomy to the large Azerbaijani community. However, I hope that sober politicians of the neighbouring country will take a pragmatic position. Despite the fact that the border divides the complex, Azerbaijan and Georgia can successfully use the monument," Mammadli told Kavkazsky Uzel.
He also highlighted the complex's connection with Azerbaijan. "The construction of a complex of buildings on Kesikcidag began in the early Middle Ages in the period of Caucasian Albania, which existed on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan. These were settlements and defensive constructions, as the territory was on the outskirts of the state. With the spread of Christianity, which originally began in the South Caucasus precisely from Caucasian Albania, religious constructions were built here. Over the succeeding period, the territory was part of the Kingdom of Georgia. However, since the late Middle Ages, Kesikcidag was part of Turkic state formations," Mammadli said.
A leading researcher of the Department of the History of the Middle Ages of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Azerbaijan, Dilavar Azimli, PhD in history, agrees with him [Mammadli]: "We cannot hand over the complex. This is a monument of Christianity in Azerbaijan. This is our multicultural heritage. In the South Caucasus, the spread of Christianity began precisely from Azerbaijan: From the state of Caucasian Albania. The complex of multifunctional buildings was created in Kesikcidag precisely in the period of Caucasian Albania. For a long time, its boundaries reached the Georgian city of Telavi. After the spread of Islam, the Albanian Church weakened, but Albanian churches nevertheless functioned. The Albanian Church was finally liquidated under [Russian] czarism. At that time, the Armenian Church gradually took possession of the heritage of the Albanian Church. The complex in Kesikcidag is part of our history and we cannot cede it," Azimli told Kavkazsky Uzel.
There can be no exchange of the monastery's territory for the territories adjacent to the border, the head of the Azerbaijani National Public Committee for European Integration, Togrul Cuvarli, said. "There is no talk about exchanging [it] for cropland or grassland. Azerbaijan cannot cede part of its historic heritage. The complex can be the legacy of both nations,' Cuvarli told Kavkazsky Uzel.
Baku-based experts point at forces interested in conflict over the monastery
According to Togrul Cuvarli, the issue of border delimitation was actively discussed in the 2000s. However, over the past 7-8 years, no talks have effectively been held. "The pause was caused in connection with the twists of political struggle within Georgia. After the change of power in Georgia [in 2012], the sides familiarised themselves with each other for some time. The new leadership were not as enthusiastic about partnership with Azerbaijan as [former President] Mikheil Saakashvili. In other words, the sides came into contact, deciding the issues related with vital interests and global projects. As regards settling the issues, which require hard work and which are of sensitive nature, they decided to put them on the back burner," Cuvarli explained.
In his opinion, [incumbent Georgian President] Salome Zourabichvili has now decided to carry out the mission of settling a number of Georgia's national problems, which have been postponed by former leaders up to now. "It is also possible that the Georgian elite are aiming to take advantage of the upcoming signing of an agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU and by focusing attention on the complex issue, they want Brussels to impose yet another condition on Azerbaijan: To settle border-related issues with Tbilisi," Cuvarli added.
He emphasised that neither Georgia nor Azerbaijan are interested in an open conflict. "Talks will apparently begin soon at the level of state commissions for delimitation. A short while ago, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reappointed Xalafa Xalafov to the post of deputy foreign minister, concurrently appointing him as special envoy for talks on border issues and the Caspian [Sea]. Earlier on, Xalafov dealt with the issues for 20 years and he is experienced in the sphere. In a few days, Azerbaijan will probably renew the composition of the delimitation commission," Cuvarli said.
Azerbaijan and Georgia have common economic, energy, transport and geopolitical interests and this is the key to settling the border issue on the basis of mutual interests, despite the attempts to cause tensions, ReAl Secretary Natiq Cafarli agreed. "In Georgia, there are concrete political and ethnic groups, say, Armenians, who are interested in causing tensions in relations with Azerbaijan. In other words, nationalists, [ethnic] Armenians, and the religious part [of society] all have their own interests. The population of Georgia is very religious. The Georgian Orthodox Church has a high standing and influence. Stirring up passions around the Davit Gareji complex rests on the sentiments running among nationalists and believers," Cafarli said.
The situation on the Azerbaijani-Georgian border was discussed at the 6 May meeting between the heads of the border services of the two countries, Elcin Quliyev and Teimuraz Kekelidze, which was held on the Samkir official territory of the Azerbaijani State Border Service, a report on the Azerbaijani State Border Service website said. The meeting was held in the atmosphere of friendly understanding, the report said.
In the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, they chose to refrain from giving comments to Kavkazsky Uzel, saying that the head of the pres service, Leyla Abdullayeva, had already commented on the given question.
"Azerbaijan is in favour of speediest delimitation of the state border with Georgia," the head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service, Leyla Abdullayeva, said on 2 May. She expressed hope that the process would be completed in the near future. "For its part, Azerbaijan is ready for this. The issue of delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Georgia is being settled on the basis of international experience and in a bilateral format within the frameworks of coordination. Up to now, 11 such meetings have been held. Of 480 kilometres of the state border, a total of 314 kilometres have been agreed on within the frameworks of the state commissions; 166 kilometres of the border are being examined at the level of experts," the ONA agency said, citing Abdullayeva on 2 May.
Commenting on Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili's statement in connection with the 1938 document on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry said that the 1938 map with the scale 1:500,000 was one of the documents to form the basis of border delimitation. "This map is a document, which was accepted by the Azerbaijani SSR and the Georgian SSR. In 1942, the Soviet Union decided to produce a more detailed map with the scale 1:100,000. Apart from this, there is a map, which was approved by the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR in 1963. In the course of the examination of the delimitation issue, the working group refers to this map. Up to now, no problems have come up in this connection," she said.