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Georgia: Presentation of Council of Religions

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  • Georgia: Presentation of Council of Religions

    Press Center
    Office of the Ombudsman of Georgia
    11 Machabeli Street,
    Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
    Tel: (995 32) 92 24 79/80
    Fax: (995 32) 92 24 70
    Mobile: (995 77) 50 52 30
    E-mail: [email protected]

    21 June 2005


    Presentation of the Council of Religions

    Today, on June 21, presentation of the Council of Religions was held in
    Courtyard Marriott Hotel. A memorandum was signed at the presentation.
    According to the memorandum, representatives of different confession
    undertake the responsibility to cooperate and coordinate in the filed of
    social, ecological and human rights issues. Leaders of almost all religions
    represented in Georgia, Tbilisi Mayor Zurab Tchiaberashvili, Chairman of the
    Parliamentary Committee of Internal Affairs Kote Gabashvili and Minister of
    Education and Science Kakha Lomaia welcomed the establishment of the
    Council.

    Representative of the Office of the Patriarch of Georgia archpriest Mikael
    Botkoveli addressed the gathered society and underlined the positive impacts
    of the establishment of the Council.

    Ombudsman of Georgia congratulated everyone with this day and expressed the
    hope, that establishment of the Religions Council significantly increased
    the level of tolerance and religious freedom of Georgia.


    Memorandum of the Council of Religions at the Public Defender's Office

    I
    As the representatives of the religious communities in Georgia we feel
    responsibility to respect the dignity, freedom and human rights of each
    person; we remain faithful to the experience of tolerance which is the
    beauty of the historical past of our country. With this respect, we
    acknowledge the local and global tasks and challenges of modernity which our
    past and future required to be resolved.
    The Soviet Union has collapsed, but there were offences against human
    rights in Georgia for many years. Religious intolerance, extremism and
    xenophobia became common practices. State policy openly showed
    discrimination in its attitude towards religious minorities.
    Corruption reached a peak. Drugs, trafficking, and robbery became
    widespread; the criminal world became more influential.
    Military conflicts have made many of our fellow Georgians refugees and
    homeless. Economic crisis, a difficult social environment, and unemployment
    have made many citizens leave their homeland and find their refuge abroad.
    The most alarming aspect of the situation is to see so many homeless,
    hungry, helpless and suffering people, especially the elderly and children.
    Alienation and aggression became a hallmark of our own attitude towards
    each-other and the world outside us.
    The Rose Revolution appeared to be succeeded by notable improvements but
    there still remain much to be done. The real freedom and prosperity of each
    citizen, society and the State requires the consolidation of our efforts.
    We should feel that we must support building a democratic and legitimate
    state; we ought to be actively involved in the process of setting up civil
    rights and a tolerant environment; to seek the peaceful solutions for
    existing conflicts; to take up social, moral and ecological
    responsibilities.
    We can see the significance of directing our united efforts towards
    defending international norms of human freedom and rights and the principles
    of the Georgian Constitution.

    II
    As the representatives of the different confessions in Georgia, we express
    our solidarity to each person, members of the Government and organizations
    in resolving the above mentioned tasks and challenges and declare our will
    to co-operate.
    At the same time we take into consideration those tragic consequences which
    were brought about by abolishing of boundaries between politics and religion
    and also by the persecution of religion by the state which brought into
    being totalitarian regimes, fundamentalist ideologies, terror,
    discrimination, censorship, and nihilism. We oppose any attempt for use
    religion as an instrument of political interest and controversies.
    We regret that hatred, intolerance, extremism, terrorism, and wars have
    been waged on a religious basis. We declare that religions must undertake
    the mission of peacemaking, and instead of deepening opposition they must
    unite people in collaboration around the eternal common values for all
    humanity.
    As the representatives of religions and confessions in Georgia, we are
    ready to contribute to this mission and to support triumph over the local
    and global crises and conflicts through the way of reconciliation and
    peaceful coexistence.

    III
    We support the Public Defender's initiative in establishing the Council of
    Religions in order to resolve the mentioned tasks as far as they are
    acceptable to all. The institution of a public defender, its significance
    and authority is a precise resource which can serve as an effective
    intermediary between the state and individuals, majorities and minorities
    and unite them around basic values.
    As a result of all of these factors we establish the Council of Religions
    at the Public Defender of Georgia and we adopt the responsibility of holding
    dialogue between each-other and society to respond to problems and events,
    make proposals to the Public Defender and Government bodies, to bring
    together the social, cultural, humanitarian, peacemaking, protection of
    human rights and ecology without abusing our cultural and religious values,
    defending the Georgian Constitution and the International norms of human
    freedom and rights in an atmosphere of collaboration, respect, and
    solidarity.
    Despite the fact that religious differences between the members of the
    Council are often almost diametrically opposed, we take responsibility to
    avoid creating an arena for religious opposition in our work. The basis of
    our participation in the Council first of all is to protect the personal
    dignity and freedom of human beings and to give confidence to the spirit of
    tolerance in our society.
    We are united in one common principle: 'Communicate with the other in a way
    that you would like the others to communicate with you'.

    The memorandum was signed by :

    1. Baha'i Community in Georgia - Eiman Rohani
    2. Evangelical Church - Pastor Zaal Tkeshelashvili
    3. Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia - Presiding Bishop Malkhaz
    Songulashvili
    4. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia - Bishop Andreas Stoekle
    5. Pentecostal Church - Russian Community - Nikoloz Kalutski
    6. Pentecostal Church - Georgian Community - Oleg Khubashvili
    7. Evangelical Church - the Word of Life - Shmagi Chankvetadze
    8. Roman Catholic Church in Georgia - Bishop Guizeppe Pazzotto
    9. Hare Krishna Temple of Consciousness - Antimoz Natsvlishvili
    10. Church of Seventh Day Adventists - Emzar Chrikishvili
    11. Acting Chief Rabbi of Georgia - Abimileq Rosenblatt
    12. Church of Latter Day Saints - Viktor Khatsevich
    13. Representative of Chief Rabbi of Lubovich Khabad in Georgia Abraham
    Mikhelashvili - Rafael Messingisser
    14. Salvation Army - Giorgi Salarishvili
    15. Sozar Subari - Ombudsman of Georgia.

    Head of Muslim Mufti Division of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara Mufti
    Bezhan ( Berik) Bolkvadze of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara sent the
    Council a letter of congratulation and called the establishment of the
    Religions Council a very worthwhile initiative and noted, that the aim of
    the of the Council is to foster the dialogue among the peoples of different
    faiths residing in Georgia, to protect human rights and freedoms guaranteed
    by the Georgian Constitution, to establish such way of life by respecting
    religions and traditions of each others as to eliminate hostility and
    intolerance, killing of people and terrorism, adultery and trafficking,
    stealing and brigandage.

    Despite the support, the Office of the Patriarch of Georgia abstained from
    signing the memorandum.

    Eparchy of Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia also refrained from signing
    the memorandum as the archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian is not in Tbilisi right
    now.

    Negotiations are carried on with the religious leaders of the New Apostolic
    Church and Yezidi Kurds.
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