Epress.am News from Armenia
The visit of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to Georgia was historical, but, at the same time, it had negative consequences, said Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) MP, Javakhq (Javakheti) Patriotic Union President Shirak Torosyan, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today.
“The Catholicos’ visit was historical, since no Armenian Catholicos had gone to [the Armenian-populated Georgian region of] Javakhq [Javakheti] since 1905. It was very inspiring for the Georgian-Armenian community, for Javakhq’s Armenians — ten thousand people greeted the Catholicos. This visit conveyed a new charge for Javakhq-Armenians,” he said.
On the other hand, the MP noted that the Catholicos’ visit resulted in negative consequences. “The text of the communique put forth by the Georgian side was a surprise for us. With this text it became clear that the Georgian side wants to lead this process into a deadlock. The Georgian side’s proposals were unjustified, unacceptable for us.”
Torosyan then listed the provisions in the communique in which the Georgian party proposes that the Armenian Apostolic Church have the same status in Georgia as the Georgian church has in Armenia.
“You can’t put this issue on the same level. A few hundred thousand Armenians live in Georgia, while there’s practically no Georgian community in Armenia,” said Torosyan.
The Javakhq Patriotic Union leader mentioned one other provision in the communique which refers to contentious churches. “They insist that 5 churches operating in Armenia are Georgian, when there isn’t even a single Georgian who lives in the area of those churches.”
There was also another point in the communique, according to which a committee should be created which would discuss the issue of church affiliation. Torosyan compared this committee with Turkey’s proposed committee of historians to debate the Armenian Genocide, as it means to initially cast doubts on the facts.