Baku denies dispute with Tbilisi around "David Gareja" Monastery

The Azerbaijani authorities disagree with the reports, disseminated by the media, on worsening of the situation around the "David Gareja" Monastery Complex, located on the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia. On Monday, May 21, at the press conference held in Baku, Ali Gasanov, Chief of the Public and Political Department of the Presidential Administration, declared absence of border disputes between the two countries.

On May 15 and 20, the Georgian opposition organized the protest actions in Tbilisi. The protestors accused the authorities of the country of ignoring national interests and giving up the "David Gareja" Monastery. The protest actions were caused by the information that the Azerbaijani border guards moved their check point towards Georgia and prohibited believers and tourists from Georgia to enter the territory of the Monastery Complex.

However, at the press conference held on May 21, Elman Abdullaev, Spokesman of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), refuted the information about movement of the Azerbaijani border check point. According to him, the Azerbaijani border guards are on the same place, where they used to stand on. According to the official, some forces artificially inflate the noise around the issue.

"Azerbaijan and Georgia do not have any border problems. Both countries recognize the territorial integrity of each other, and there is no question of any changes to the borders," in his turn, stated Ali Gasanov, Chief of the Public and Political Department of the Presidential Administration, at the same press conference.

"The situation around the Monastery is being artificially inflated by forces, unfriendly to Azerbaijan and Georgia," said the official. He expressed his regret that "the opposition, some religious organizations and Georgian media exaggerate the problem."