Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church indignant at Deputy Minister’s Statement

17.11.2010

The Press Office of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church responded to yesterday’s statements of Georgia’s Deputy Minister for Reintegration Eline Tevdoradze.

The Deputy Minister declared during the discussions on “Problems and perspectives of the Armenian community of Tbilisi” that that the Armenian Apostolic Church of Georgia is the branch of Holy Etchmiadzin and Georgia will not give any status or register the Georgian Diocese.

“The Deputy Minister’s statement is worrisome and not understandable to the Armenian community, especially if we take into consideration that Minister for Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili has had a number of meetings with representatives of traditional religious communities, including the leader of the Georgian Diocese. He has assured they will make amendments to the Civil Code to give the status of public law entity to the religious communities of Georgia.

Such stance of Mrs. Tevdoradze does not derive from the principles of Georga’s democratic policy, since it violates human rights and the dignity of the Armenian community, as well as other traditional religious communities of the country.”

“It’s a pity that 20 years after independence the status of religious communities remains unsolved,” the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church said in a statement released today.

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