Georgian patriarchate against making disputed section of David Gareji transboundary protected area
David Gareji, a sixth-century complex of 22 rock-hewn monasteries has more than 5,000 cells and cave-cells. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Tweet 
Share
The Georgian patriarchate is against the initiative of a group of Georgian scientists who offer making a disputed section of Georgia’s 6th-century monastery complex as a transboundary protected area.
The Georgian patriarchate says that the initiative would be positively evaluated by them if there were no obscurities on territorial issues with Azerbaijan, as Georgia and Azerbaijan have not agreed upon their borders since the collapse of Soviet Union back in 1991.
The patriarchate says that all the evidence points to Udabno and Chichkhituri monasteries of David Gareji being on the Georgian territory.
In a situation when there are historic, cultural, legal and cartographic materials that the two monasteries are on Georgian territory, offering the creation of a transboundary zone would be ignoring the materials and placing the territorial possession under a question mark,” the patriarchate said earlier today.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia (l) said after his meeting with Azerbaijani president in October this year that the Udabno and Chichkhituri monasteries of David Gareji monastery complex, which had been closed by Azerbaijani border guards since the beginning of the year, would reopen to Georgian clerics. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
The 200-page plan and initiative of a group of Georgia scientists proposed at the end of October aimed to ease David Gareji-related tension
The scientists believe that after granting the status to the cultural monument tension would be eased as both countries would receive economic and other benefits.
The situation has become tense several times at the site over the past several months, and was deescalated after the involvement of state officials from both countries.
David Gareji is a complex of 22 rock-hewn monasteries and more than 5,000 cells and cave-cells, located in Georgia’s south-east.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the Udabno and Chichkhituri monasteries in Georgia’s 6th Century David Gareji monastery complex, which have been closed by Azerbaijani border guards since the beginning of the year, will reopen to Georgian clerics starting tomorrow.
Georgian clerics and public groups are holding a peaceful rally in Georgia’s David Gareji monastery complex, at the conditional border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The rally comes amid negotiations between Georgia and Azerbaijan on the border, which has not been agreed upon since the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991.
The joint commission working on the demarcation of the Georgia-Azerbaijani border will resume its work next week. Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalklaiani announced at yesterday’s news briefing that the commission, which will be composed of new members, will be chaired by his deputy Lasha Darsalia.
The Georgian Patriarchate has stated that positive steps have also been taken during the “active negotiations” of Georgia and Azerbaijan regarding Georgia’s 6th century monastery complex David Gareji located at the conditional border between the two countries.