Hayk Demoyan called on Armenian and Georgian journalists to refrain from exacerbating nationalism

PanARMENIAN.Net - Director of the Armenian Genocide Institute-Museum Hayk Demoyan called on Armenian and Georgian journalists to refrain from exacerbating nationalism. "This damages our memories and perspectives of cooperation between young Georgians and Armenians," he said when commenting on media reports on Georgia's intention to reconstruct the historical monastery of Osvank in Erzurum province, eastern Turkey.



Earlier, PanARMENIAN.Net made a mistake when quoting Hayk Demoyan. The information reading that "there were no Georgian churches in Western Armenia, specifically at the time mentioned. The monastery belonged to Chalcedonic Armenians. The cross on the temple was a bit different from a Gregorian. Later it was replaced by an Orthodox one. There is an inscription in Asomtavruli (ancient Georgian) above one of the ornaments in the Church. That is why Georgia thinks it's a Georgian temple" does not correspond to the truth.



"The region known as Tao-Klarjeti in Georgian historiography and Tayk region in Great Armenia are famous with numerous historical monuments, including Osvank. This region was inhabited by Armenians from the earliest times. Living at a crossroad of Armenia, Byzantine and Georgia, native Armenians adopted orthodoxy. This process was underway during the growth of the Georgian kingdom. As result medieval Armenian inscriptions were replaced or supplemented by Georgian inscriptions of Chalcedon Armenians," Demoyan said.