Georgian Patriarch denies controversial Karabakh comment

Karabakh – 9/1/2013 H H Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church, has denied making a controversial comment on the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh during a recent meeting with a top Moslem cleric in the Caucasus. A Georgian Patriarchate spokesman said earlier this week that Azeri media misquoted the Georgian patriarch and alleged that he had referred to Nagorno-Karabakh as to the land that belongs to Azerbaijan.