Tweet
PM: FOUR MORE RELIGIOUS GROUPS TO GET STATE FUNDING
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Jan 27 2014
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 27 Jan.'14 / 14:44
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on favorites More Sharing
Services Share on email
Apart of the Georgian Orthodox Church, funding from the state
budget will also become available for four more religious groups
in Georgia - Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia,
Muslim groups, Roman Catholic Church in Georgia and Jewish groups,
PM Irakli Garibashvili said.
He made the announcement at a government session on January 27,
saying that these four religious groups will become eligible to state
funding in a form of "compensation" for "repressions" experienced by
these groups during the Soviet times. Details of funding scheme are
not yet clear.
"I want to respond to speculation that continues and we hear in
media as if conflicts on religious grounds became frequent - I want
to state unequivocally that it is not true. On the contrary we only
have improvements in this regard and we really have equal respect to
various religious groups. In testament to this we are today discussing
a proposal on funding of four religious groups from the state budget
because these religions were repressed during the Soviet times,"
PM Garibashvili said.
"Funding will be allocated from the state budget and proportionally
distributed among these [four] religious groups in order to provide
state compensation, because these religions were repressed during the
Soviet times," Garibashvili said. "It is unprecedented not only in our
region, but in Europe. Religious groups usually do not get funding
from the state budget, but because we really have a fair reason for
that... This is a very useful and necessary decision, which will
further contribute to the unity and integration within the society."
PM Garibashvili also said that funding for Lutherans would be
considered at the "next stage".
President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who attended an event in Tbilisi
marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, said
when asked about the PM's announcement that he is not yet aware of
details of the proposal.
"I am not aware about the principle of selection [of the religious
groups which will get funding]. At the same time, the President is
a guarantor of constitutional agreement between [the state] and the
Georgian Orthodox Church and naturally these issues are important
for me and I am interested in them. I will familiarize myself with
this proposal and let you know my opinion," President Margvelashvili
told journalists.
The Georgian Orthodox Church, which enjoys with special status and
important privileges under the 2002 constitutional agreement with
the state, is the only religious group in the country with a line
item in the state budget. 2014 state budget envisages GEL 25 million
for the Georgian Orthodox Church. According to estimations by the
Transparency International Georgia, the Orthodox Church received up
to GEL 200 million from the state in a period between 2002 and 2013.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26890
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Jan 27 2014
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 27 Jan.'14 / 14:44
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on favorites More Sharing
Services Share on email
Apart of the Georgian Orthodox Church, funding from the state
budget will also become available for four more religious groups
in Georgia - Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia,
Muslim groups, Roman Catholic Church in Georgia and Jewish groups,
PM Irakli Garibashvili said.
He made the announcement at a government session on January 27,
saying that these four religious groups will become eligible to state
funding in a form of "compensation" for "repressions" experienced by
these groups during the Soviet times. Details of funding scheme are
not yet clear.
"I want to respond to speculation that continues and we hear in
media as if conflicts on religious grounds became frequent - I want
to state unequivocally that it is not true. On the contrary we only
have improvements in this regard and we really have equal respect to
various religious groups. In testament to this we are today discussing
a proposal on funding of four religious groups from the state budget
because these religions were repressed during the Soviet times,"
PM Garibashvili said.
"Funding will be allocated from the state budget and proportionally
distributed among these [four] religious groups in order to provide
state compensation, because these religions were repressed during the
Soviet times," Garibashvili said. "It is unprecedented not only in our
region, but in Europe. Religious groups usually do not get funding
from the state budget, but because we really have a fair reason for
that... This is a very useful and necessary decision, which will
further contribute to the unity and integration within the society."
PM Garibashvili also said that funding for Lutherans would be
considered at the "next stage".
President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who attended an event in Tbilisi
marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, said
when asked about the PM's announcement that he is not yet aware of
details of the proposal.
"I am not aware about the principle of selection [of the religious
groups which will get funding]. At the same time, the President is
a guarantor of constitutional agreement between [the state] and the
Georgian Orthodox Church and naturally these issues are important
for me and I am interested in them. I will familiarize myself with
this proposal and let you know my opinion," President Margvelashvili
told journalists.
The Georgian Orthodox Church, which enjoys with special status and
important privileges under the 2002 constitutional agreement with
the state, is the only religious group in the country with a line
item in the state budget. 2014 state budget envisages GEL 25 million
for the Georgian Orthodox Church. According to estimations by the
Transparency International Georgia, the Orthodox Church received up
to GEL 200 million from the state in a period between 2002 and 2013.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26890