TBILISI. – Georgian parliament on Tuesday session amended Civil Code. It partially eliminated the legal status, which has been previously granted to some religious communities including Armenian Apostolic Church.

According to new amendments, religious communities have right to register as religious organizations, but the rest of the licenses were cancelled, founder of Armenian Assembly of Tbilisi Arnold Stepanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. Stepanyan told that this consensus lessened inner political tension between Georgian authorities and Georgian Orthodox Church to the detriment of Armenian Apostolic Church. Previously it inspired hopes to claim for taking back Armenian churches. However, new law buried all hopes.  

According to Armenian-Georgian representative, increase of anti-Armenian disposition coincided with visits of Armenian Catholicos and Armenian FM. However, it is strange that only Armenians faced such complaint, as amendments in the law referred also to Catholic, Baptist churches and Jewish, Muslim communities.

Earlier Armenian News-NEWS.am informed that Georgian parliament made amendments in Civil Code on July 5 and granted legal status to Armenian Apostolic and other churches. Georgian Patriarch Ilya II was against the decision.