1,5 thousand people gather in Batumi to protest against Azise mosque reconstructionMarch 24, 2011 - 17:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - About 1,5 thousand people participated in a rally in Ajaria’s capital Batumi to protest against reconstruction of Azize mosque. A Georgia-Turkey agreement on reconstruction of the historical Azize mosque demolished in the middle of the last century is to be singed in near future. The two countries have been negotiating reconstruction of historic mosques in Ajaria in return for reconstruction of byzantine epoch Georgian churches on the territory of Turkey. Georgian Orthodox Church expressed its position, categorically opposing to reconstruction of mosques. The rally participants agreed with the patriarchate’s position, further addressing a protest letter to Georgian authorities. Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |