The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.comPresident Ilham Aliyev received on Tuesday Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabia, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs .
The Saudi Minister emphasised the importance of Azerbaijan’s simplification of the process of issuing visas to citizens of his country, which gave impetus to the development of tourism between the countries.
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On February 27, the Social Justice Center (SJC), a local watchdog, issued a statement saying that the damage done to the World Heritage site of Gelati Monastery during the reconstruction and conservation works shows signs of possible malfeasance in office.
In particular, the SJC states: “Reconstruction and conservation works carried out during the tenure of Tea Tsulukiani [as Minister of Culture] and under her leadership appear to have caused damage which, given the chronological development of events, indicates an alleged official misconduct.”
The SJC cites the expert documentation provided by the Trade Union of the Georgian Ministry of Science, Education and Culture, and states that the examination of this documentation revealed that “additional irreversible damage was caused to the mural in 2021-2022”.
The SJC points out that at the time when the group of workers selected by Minister Tsulukiani began their work “not only for conservation, but also for reconstruction” they did so on the still not dry, wet plaster, which, according to the SJC, resulted in the critical state of the mural, as confirmed by the experts’ conclusions. The SJC notes that the Minister was aware of “a number of international expert conclusions” warning of the “severe” consequences that would have come with the chosen method of work. Nevertheless, the process continued until autumn 2022.
The SJC also points out that before the work began, “there was no action plan for the management of the Gelati complex, nor an effective monitoring mechanism”. It adds that the decision-making process regarding the works was “highly centralized and non-transparent”. It states that the Ministry of Culture failed to prevent and even caused additional damage to the cultural monument.
The watchdog also notes that the Ministry of Culture is responsible for the development and implementation of the common policy on cultural heritage, as well as for the selection of persons with appropriate qualifications to carry out work on cultural heritage monuments.
“The resulting damage, in view of the chronological development of events, is alleged to constitute maladministration,” the SJC concludes.
The SJC notes that the Prosecutor General’s Office has not yet opened an investigation into the possible malfeasance in office.
It therefore calls on the Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation into the alleged abuse of office, to conduct the investigation objectively and in the shortest possible time, and to ensure that the public is informed to the extent that it does not harm the interests of the investigation.
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On February 26, the de-facto leader of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, and Abkhazia’s top diplomat, Inal Ardzinba, reported that Moscow insists on moving the Geneva International Discussions to another location, mentioning that at the moment, “Minsk and Baku are being considered” as alternative venues. Presenting the report on the activities of the de-facto ministry, Ardzinba noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry considers that Geneva is no longer able to provide “equal conditions for the participants of the negotiation process”.
Aslan Bzhania noted that this issue was raised by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Moscow.
“As far as the Geneva discussion is concerned, at the last meeting with Mr Lavrov, he spoke about the fact that this platform had, so to speak, largely exhausted itself. So he asked whether the Abkhazian side would have any objection to continuing work on finding a more suitable one. We discussed, among others, the capital of Belarus, Minsk, or the capitals of other states, the most neutral states of the former Soviet Union,” Bzhania said.
Ardzinba added that Azerbaijan, particularly the capital Baku, is also being considered as a potential venue for the talks.
Regarding the relations with Russia, Ardzinba spoke about the importance of the 2024-2025 plan of consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which are aimed at strengthening the so-called interagency cooperation. He noted that there are plans to implement joint projects with Russia in the areas of health care, education, sports, culture and emergency response. Ardzinba also noted that the so-called dual citizenship agreement with Russia is in its final stage, emphasizing that hundreds of young Abkhazians have access to Russian universities, internships and jobs.
As for relations with Belarus, Inal Ardzinba emphasized the “successful registration” of the “Trade House Abkhazia” in Minsk, which “strengthens trade relations” with the country. He noted the duty-free import of Abkhazian goods into Belarus, as well as progress on a project involving Belarusian investors planned for eastern Abkhazia.
Inal Ardzinba emphasized that the interaction with the Standing Committee of the Union State of Russia and Belarus has increased over the past year. He also reported that the de-facto ministry is actively working to increase participation in BRICS events chaired by Russia in order to open new opportunities for Abkhazia’s international cooperation.
Speaking about relations with the Middle East, Ardzinba noted his trip to Syria and meetings with high-ranking Syrian officials, adding that there are plans for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Abkhazia, as well as the establishment of a de-facto Syrian embassy in occupied Sokhumi. Ardzinba said that with Assad’s help, relations with Algeria and Iran have been developed. As for other countries, Ardzinba stressed that Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea and Serbia have been contacted to “recognize” occupied Abkhazia.
Lastly, Ardzinba stated that the Abkhazian de-facto the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “provides systematic information support for the special military operation [Russia’s military invasion in Ukraine] and regularly interacts with the new [occupied] regions of the Russian Federation.”
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On February 27, the Social Justice Center (SJC), a local watchdog, issued a statement saying that the damage done to the World Heritage site of Gelati Monastery during the reconstruction and conservation works shows signs of possible malfeasance in office.
In particular, the SJC states: “Reconstruction and conservation works carried out during the tenure of Tea Tsulukiani [as Minister of Culture] and under her leadership appear to have caused damage which, given the chronological development of events, indicates an alleged official misconduct.”
The SJC cites the expert documentation provided by the Trade Union of the Georgian Ministry of Science, Education and Culture, and states that the examination of this documentation revealed that “additional irreversible damage was caused to the mural in 2021-2022”.
The SJC points out that at the time when the group of workers selected by Minister Tsulukiani began their work “not only for conservation, but also for reconstruction” they did so on the still not dry, wet plaster, which, according to the SJC, resulted in the critical state of the mural, as confirmed by the experts’ conclusions. The SJC notes that the Minister was aware of “a number of international expert conclusions” warning of the “severe” consequences that would have come with the chosen method of work. Nevertheless, the process continued until autumn 2022.
The SJC also points out that before the work began, “there was no action plan for the management of the Gelati complex, nor an effective monitoring mechanism”. It adds that the decision-making process regarding the works was “highly centralized and non-transparent”. It states that the Ministry of Culture failed to prevent and even caused additional damage to the cultural monument.
The watchdog also notes that the Ministry of Culture is responsible for the development and implementation of the common policy on cultural heritage, as well as for the selection of persons with appropriate qualifications to carry out work on cultural heritage monuments.
“The resulting damage, in view of the chronological development of events, is alleged to constitute maladministration,” the SJC concludes.
The SJC notes that the Prosecutor General’s Office has not yet opened an investigation into the possible malfeasance in office.
It therefore calls on the Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation into the alleged abuse of office, to conduct the investigation objectively and in the shortest possible time, and to ensure that the public is informed to the extent that it does not harm the interests of the investigation.
Also Read
On February 26, the de-facto leader of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, and Abkhazia’s top diplomat, Inal Ardzinba, reported that Moscow insists on moving the Geneva International Discussions to another location, mentioning that at the moment, “Minsk and Baku are being considered” as alternative venues. Presenting the report on the activities of the de-facto ministry, Ardzinba noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry considers that Geneva is no longer able to provide “equal conditions for the participants of the negotiation process”.
Aslan Bzhania noted that this issue was raised by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Moscow.
“As far as the Geneva discussion is concerned, at the last meeting with Mr Lavrov, he spoke about the fact that this platform had, so to speak, largely exhausted itself. So he asked whether the Abkhazian side would have any objection to continuing work on finding a more suitable one. We discussed, among others, the capital of Belarus, Minsk, or the capitals of other states, the most neutral states of the former Soviet Union,” Bzhania said.
Ardzinba added that Azerbaijan, particularly the capital Baku, is also being considered as a potential venue for the talks.
Regarding the relations with Russia, Ardzinba spoke about the importance of the 2024-2025 plan of consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which are aimed at strengthening the so-called interagency cooperation. He noted that there are plans to implement joint projects with Russia in the areas of health care, education, sports, culture and emergency response. Ardzinba also noted that the so-called dual citizenship agreement with Russia is in its final stage, emphasizing that hundreds of young Abkhazians have access to Russian universities, internships and jobs.
As for relations with Belarus, Inal Ardzinba emphasized the “successful registration” of the “Trade House Abkhazia” in Minsk, which “strengthens trade relations” with the country. He noted the duty-free import of Abkhazian goods into Belarus, as well as progress on a project involving Belarusian investors planned for eastern Abkhazia.
Inal Ardzinba emphasized that the interaction with the Standing Committee of the Union State of Russia and Belarus has increased over the past year. He also reported that the de-facto ministry is actively working to increase participation in BRICS events chaired by Russia in order to open new opportunities for Abkhazia’s international cooperation.
Speaking about relations with the Middle East, Ardzinba noted his trip to Syria and meetings with high-ranking Syrian officials, adding that there are plans for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Abkhazia, as well as the establishment of a de-facto Syrian embassy in occupied Sokhumi. Ardzinba said that with Assad’s help, relations with Algeria and Iran have been developed. As for other countries, Ardzinba stressed that Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea and Serbia have been contacted to “recognize” occupied Abkhazia.
Lastly, Ardzinba stated that the Abkhazian de-facto the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “provides systematic information support for the special military operation [Russia’s military invasion in Ukraine] and regularly interacts with the new [occupied] regions of the Russian Federation.”
Also Read: