Georgian Church Says ‘Ignored’ in Turkish-Georgian Talks on Restoring Historic Sites

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi 7/2/2011 The Georgian Orthodox Church has again spoken out against potential deal between Georgia and Turkey, which, if signed, will pave the way for reconstruction of four Georgian medieval monasteries, now located in north-east Turkey, in exchange of rebuilding one and restoring of several other mosques in Georgia. The similar agreement was close to finalizing three years ago, but at the time Georgian government yielded to opposition from the influential Orthodox Church and the deal was not signed. Georgian officials are pushing for the agreement saying that it is the only way to save the Georgian historic monuments in Turkey, which have significant importance for the Georgian cultural heritage and which are now on the verge of collapse