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The Messenger, Georgia
July 24 2014
What happened at the Armenian Church in Tbilisi?
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, July 24
There was a clash at the Armenian Church in Tbilisi on July19. It
could be taken as an ordinary clash or hooliganism. However, Armenian
Church representatives in Georgia state that it was a deliberate
attack on the Armenian Church, which according to them was based on
religious and ethnic grounds.
Georgian analysts believe that there are other forces at work aiming
to aggravate Georgian-Armenian relations. Therefore, analysts demand
an overwhelming investigation in order to reveal the individuals who
wish to create an ethnic-religious confrontation in Georgia.
There are two main versions of this story. According to the first
version, a driver was trying to turn her car around and got upset
because of another car blocking the street. An argument then ensued
resulting in a clash. Some supporters of the woman appeared.
Spirituals tried to calm the situation, but unfortunately, one of them
was assaulted during the skirmish.
However, Armenian Church representatives said it was a deliberate
attack by Orthodox Christian Georgians on Armenians motivated by
ethnic and religious reasons.
Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Chairman of the Human Rights' Protection Union,
claims that it was deliberate propaganda coming from a certain group
in the country, who wants to strain situation between the two
neighboring countries.
Representatives of various NGOs made a statement on July 22 and
concluded that the incident included verbally abusive language in
terms of ethnicity. They claim that the incident transformed into
wider aggression that was mainly targeted towards some representatives
of the Armenian Church rather than the church itself or an ethnic
group. It was also stated that there was a certain number of ethnic
Armenians in both groups.
NGOs ask the government to conduct an urgent investigation of the case
and take adequate measures to avoid the risk of a similar
confrontation.
"The government should pay the utmost attention to anti-Armenian
attitudes in the country to prevent future conflict," NGOs state.
The Georgian Patriarchate immediately responded to the incident,
stating that the incident had no ethnic or religious overtones to it,
at the same time condemning the behavior of those involved in the
incident.
According to some analysts, such an incident might serve Russian
interests in Georgia. Such developments would create unrest in Georgia
and damage Georgia's path to NATO and the EU. As such, analysts appeal
to the Georgian government to pay more attention to this sensitive
issue to avoid any future confrontations.
http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/3165_july_24_2014/3165_edit.html
July 24 2014
What happened at the Armenian Church in Tbilisi?
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, July 24
There was a clash at the Armenian Church in Tbilisi on July19. It
could be taken as an ordinary clash or hooliganism. However, Armenian
Church representatives in Georgia state that it was a deliberate
attack on the Armenian Church, which according to them was based on
religious and ethnic grounds.
Georgian analysts believe that there are other forces at work aiming
to aggravate Georgian-Armenian relations. Therefore, analysts demand
an overwhelming investigation in order to reveal the individuals who
wish to create an ethnic-religious confrontation in Georgia.
There are two main versions of this story. According to the first
version, a driver was trying to turn her car around and got upset
because of another car blocking the street. An argument then ensued
resulting in a clash. Some supporters of the woman appeared.
Spirituals tried to calm the situation, but unfortunately, one of them
was assaulted during the skirmish.
However, Armenian Church representatives said it was a deliberate
attack by Orthodox Christian Georgians on Armenians motivated by
ethnic and religious reasons.
Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Chairman of the Human Rights' Protection Union,
claims that it was deliberate propaganda coming from a certain group
in the country, who wants to strain situation between the two
neighboring countries.
Representatives of various NGOs made a statement on July 22 and
concluded that the incident included verbally abusive language in
terms of ethnicity. They claim that the incident transformed into
wider aggression that was mainly targeted towards some representatives
of the Armenian Church rather than the church itself or an ethnic
group. It was also stated that there was a certain number of ethnic
Armenians in both groups.
NGOs ask the government to conduct an urgent investigation of the case
and take adequate measures to avoid the risk of a similar
confrontation.
"The government should pay the utmost attention to anti-Armenian
attitudes in the country to prevent future conflict," NGOs state.
The Georgian Patriarchate immediately responded to the incident,
stating that the incident had no ethnic or religious overtones to it,
at the same time condemning the behavior of those involved in the
incident.
According to some analysts, such an incident might serve Russian
interests in Georgia. Such developments would create unrest in Georgia
and damage Georgia's path to NATO and the EU. As such, analysts appeal
to the Georgian government to pay more attention to this sensitive
issue to avoid any future confrontations.
http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/3165_july_24_2014/3165_edit.html