Epress.am News from Armenia
Georgian opposition party Free Georgia has cast doubt on a cable recently released by WikiLeaks in which His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a letter to the US Ambassador to Armenia addressed to US President Barack Obama in 2009, asking the latter to pay attention to the plight of religious minorities in Georgia, and particularly on the lack of legal status and the protracted process of returning church buildings and properties.
“We deeply believe that the Catholicos of All Armenians would not send officials of a partner country false and defamatory information. Especially since negotiations regarding the status of religious minorities in Georgia was underway and there was no reason to involve the US in this issue. In addition, Georgia has a commitment to the European Union on the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages,” reads a statement issued by Free Georgia.
Furthermore, the opposition party recalls that Georgian society has always been distinguished in its tolerance toward other religions and ethnicities, and there has never been opposition based on religion or religious persecution in Georgia, unlike in many other countries which are currently considered to be “exporting democracy,” reports Georgia Online.