Georgian activists report about new conflict on territory of monastery complex

A conflict between residents of Georgia and border guards of Azerbaijan arose at the "David Gareja" Monastery Complex after icons had been removed from one of the temples, reported a guide of the monastery complex. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for Georgia reported about launching an investigation into the incident.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the construction of a road near the "David Gareja" Monastery Complex heightened tension on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. On May 28, several hundred residents of Georgia took part in a march, during which they demanded to conduct open negotiations on the demarcation of borders with Azerbaijan in the territory of the monastery complex.

The Azerbaijani border guards took the icons out of the Udabno temple in the "David Gareja" Monastery Complex, and that led to a conflict between the residents of Georgia and the law enforcers of Azerbaijan, which occurred yesterday, on July 14, reported Zviad Ananiashvili, a guide of the monastery complex. "Officials from the law enforcement bodies arrived at the place. Border guards of Azerbaijan continue to patrol the territory. The road construction has not yet been resumed," reported Zviad Ananiashvili as quoted today by the "News-Georgia".

The yesterday's conflict between the local residents of Georgia and the border guards of Azerbaijan was confirmed by officials from the Georgian MIA, who added that the investigation into the incident had been launched. "We urge the public and civilian groups to provide the border delimitation commission with the opportunity to work in a calm atmosphere, so that we can reach an agreement in a timely manner," the Georgian MIA reported.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 15, 2019 at 11:35 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.