Armenian bloggers protest destruction of Armenian churches in GeorgiaNovember 27, 2008 - 17:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian bloggers gathered at the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan today to demand that demolition of the Armenian cultural heritage be stopped and those guilty be punished. The protesters were carrying posters of Norashen church and banners reading "Save Armenian churches in Georgia", "Republic of Georgia not Europe still Asiatic" and a small coffin with an inscription "The newborn Georgian democracy. This newborn democracy is dead already" on it. What is happening to Armenian churches in Georgia is nothing but genocide of our cultural heritage, according to historian Samvel Karapetyan. A crime has been committed and those guilty should be punished by the international court, he said yesterday. Over 650 Armenian churches are situated in the territory of Georgia, most of them already appropriated or destructed by the Georgian side. On November 16, Georgian monk Tariel Sikinchelashvili instructed workers to raze to the ground the graves of Mikhail and Lidia Tamamshevs. This barbarian act outraged Armenians, who demanded to let the graves in their place. However, Father Tariel responded with harsh statements. Upon arrival of representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church and parliament member Van Bayburt, the Georgian monk said he just wanted to replace the gravestones to "clean under them." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |