Georgia, Tbilisi/ Trend , corr. N. Kirtskhalia/ The parliamentary majority of the Georgian Parliament has urged the opposition not to speculate with issues connected to the ancient David Garedji Complex, and not to generate relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan. This statement was made today by David Bakradze, the Head of Georgia's Parliament's Committee for Integration of Euro-Atlantic Agencies, following the "Democratic Front" Group's statement that Azerbaijan intends to get part of the David Garedji Monastery Complex.
The day before, members of a conservative group of the Georgian Parliament, had visited the David Garedji Complex which lies on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border, afterwards stating that they would never give anyone else the Georgian Monument, which is a symbol of Georgian spiritual history.
"I understand and share the opinion of those people who are concerned with the development of the situation surrounding the David Garedji Monastery. However, it seems to me that some political forces are attempting to gain cheap populism and authority by playing this card. I want to assure the whole Georgian population that nobody is going to give even one square meter of our territory as a present to anybody, especially not the David Garedji Monastery Complex, which is of great importance to us," noted Mr. Bakradze.
Nino Burdjanadze, Georgia's Speaker, stated that it was not necessary to interfere in the process, insisting that "that only creates useless nervousness and tension in our mutually-appreciative relations with our sister nation. And that is inadmissible."
The Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament noted that Georgia has strategic relations with Azerbaijan, one which relies on respect for the other's cultural and national traditions.