All the historical, architectural and religious monuments in Georgia, irrespective of their origin, are protected by the Government, and official Yerevan is well aware of that, Georgian Vice-Premier, State Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili stated in his interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta. He is puzzled by RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement on the necessity for legal registration of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“The issue of legal registration of the Armenian Apostolic Church is being dealt with, and Yerevan has been informed of that. We have a number of disputed monuments and churches, but it is important that historians and experts, but not politicians, settle the disputes,” Yakobashvili said.

As regards the Armenian President’s statement on the advisability of granting a regional status to the Armenian language in Georgia, the Minister said: “We are happy that the Armenian language is the only state language in Armenia.”

Yakobashvili also addressed the situation of the village of Bavra. He pointed out that situations like that will arise until the Armenian-Georgian border is clearly fixed. “A joint commission is carrying out relevant work,” he said.

Georgian frontier guards moved several dozen meters into the territory of the Shirak region of Armenia. They forbade the Armenian residents who have land property certificates to cultivate the lands.

Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze is to arrive for a two-day working visit to Yerevan on September 4. The key topic for discussions is the bilateral relations and regional problems.