Azerbaijan, Georgia agree on access to border monastery
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 May 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Azerbaijan, Georgia agree on access to border monastery, 21 May 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fbcc8fbc.html [accessed 21 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 21, 2012
Visitors to one of the Georgian Orthodox Church's most sacred sites were able on May 21 to visit the entire complex after the border agencies of Georgia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement on access.
Earlier this month, the Azerbaijani government began preventing pilgrims from visiting the small portion of the 6th-century David Gareja Monastery that Baku says lies inside its borders.
The agreement between both countries came after the presidents of the two states discussed the issue on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Chicago.
The two countries have been unable to delimit the border in the region since they gained their independence two decades ago.
Baku regards the territory as a "strategic height."
The monastery complex comprises more than 20 churches and numerous caves over about 25 square kilometers.
With reporting by AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
