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After Drawing Up Border Tensions Might Erupt Into Bloodshed

August 20, 2006

20_agv_sazgvari.gifDavit Gareja’s monastery complex has endured disasters quite frequently, yet its 12 parts remain very important religious and cultural monuments for the Georgian people. Regarding this site however, Georgians cannot help their anger towards the behavior of the Azeris.

As Mikheil Tvaliahsvili stated to the ‘Human Rights Centre’, Georgia has already lost Bertubani and under the current delineation of the border, further historical monuments face the same fate.

“It is true, we do not need a visa to travel to Azerbaijan, but Azeri frontier-guards do not let us preach at Bertubani (a Georgian church). If we manage to cross the border and they do not notice us we are lucky - but if they do and guess we are going to Bertubani, where unique frescos of Queen Tamar and King Lasha-Giorgi are located, then we have serious problems. They arrest us and keep us in their ‘haubakht’ (prison). How can the Azeris dare turn those places into pastures and cattle-fields, where Georgian culture flourished in the past and they do not let us look after it either? They say it is their property as it is located on their territory and we are to have no dealings with it. Such a situation occurs and causes increasing tension between the Georgian and Azeri people. A great deal of the border is disputed and yet to be settled. The drawing up of the border has just started. The border villages of Chichkhitauri, Verangareja and Udabno are supposed to include Azeri territory, something that further increases the tension between Georgians and Azeris.” – says Mikheil Tvaliashvili.

People from the village of Udabno told us that the tensions have become more apparent lately. “A short time ago the tension between Georgians and Azeri people got so severe that if the local government hadn’t interfered, bloodshed would have been inevitable. But Udabno and other border villages are quite far from the regional centre and they cannot calm the situation every time. We demand the border be drawn up so that Georgian historical monuments are within Georgian territory. We cannot put up with the alternative conclusion. Bertubani is more than enough for them to ravage. We know that the Georgian government offers exchanges of territory, but Azerbaijan rejects it,” the Udabno people say, unable to contain their anger.

The tension on the Georgian-Azerbaijan border was also mentioned by Sagarejo District Councilor, Gari Bukhnikashvili. According to the Councilor, tensions around the base of Davit Gareja really do exist in border villages, between Georgian and Azeri border-guards. However the Georgian side is more active in this case.

“There is not a well-drawn boundary between these two countries on this territory; however the demarcation line is being drawn now, which will define whether Georgia or Azerbaijan is the owner of this or that centimeter of the land. As for Davit Gareja’s monastery complex and the fear that any of its parts lie on Azeri territory, I cannot comment, as I have no competence in such matters. I can say however that this situation has become a reason for unpleasant incidents in the border villages. If we learn about any of them, we go and try to resolve the tensions,” - says the Councilor of the Sagarejo district.

We tried to get in touch with representatives of the Border Guard Department, but we could not. 

We managed to reach the Azeri Embassy in Georgia, but they refused to comment on the matter. They did say that despite Bertubani being a Georgian cultural monument on Azeri territory, it is their property and they call it ‘Keshishdaghi’. The embassy representative, who did not want to introduce himself, said that the Azeri government does not intend to exchange any land with Georgia and it is not going to alter its position.

The people from the Sagarejo district border villages also refuse to give in. They say that Davit Gareja is one whole and they would not cede any part of it to anyone, as well as this they intend to take Bertuabni back. The Georgian populations of the Sagarejo district border villages claim they will hold demonstrations.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti   

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