10:38, 7 October 2019

Azerbaijan opens new border outpost at David Gareja Complex

David Gareja Monastery Complex. Photo: Paata Vardanashvili https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki

At the new border outpost, agents of the Azerbaijani State Frontier Service (SFS) have been instructed to "protect the historical-cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people" on the border with Georgia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that this July a conflict broke out of Azerbaijani border guards with Georgian activists near the David Gareja Monastery Complex. Georgia guides told about problems with access to some of the monasteries.

The dispute over the David Gareja monastery complex, the most important cultural and religious attraction of Georgia, continues because of the incomplete demarcation of the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. Political analysts and historians of Azerbaijani rule out the possibility of giving up the Azerbaijani part of the monastery complex.

Azerbaijan has commissioned a new "Keshikchi Gala" border outpost on the border section with Georgia that embraces the David Gareja Complex, the "Interfax-Azerbaijan" quoted the SFS' press service on September 6.

According to officials, the new outpost is called upon, along with the border guards, to "protect the historical-cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people," the "Oxu.Az" reports.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 6, 2019 at 04:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.