The shadow of Caucasian Albania" over Kakheti: Baku destroys Georgian churches, and Tbilisi pays for its silence.
While the world is watching the fate of the Armenian churches in Artsakh, Azerbaijan is systematically expanding "Albanization" into Georgia. In September, Azerbaijani equipment approached the ancient Georgian Kormuk Church of St. George in the Gach region (historical Herti) and, under the guise of excavations and "restoration", began to destroy part of the monastery complex. The goal is clear: to distort the authentic appearance of the temple and destroy Georgian inscriptions - following the example of the barbaric "restoration" of the Armenian Jezanchats Cathedral in Sushi. Baku has long claimed that the Kormukh temple belongs to the "Christian heritage of Caucasian Albania", and the Georgians of Ingilov in the Gach and Zagatla regions are allegedly not indigenous people and have no connection to the local heritage. From a scientific point of view this is nonsense. But the Azerbaijani authorities adopted this version to legitimize the borders redrawn by the Bolsheviks in favor of Baku at the expense of Georgia. The official Tbilisi chose not to react strongly: the economic dependence on Baku and political risks do not allow the government to strongly condemn the vandalism. The Georgian Orthodox Church has taken over the protection of the heritage. On September 25, the GOC called on Baku to stop unilateral "restorations" in churches under its spiritual jurisdiction. Catholicos-Patriarch Shiu III and the hierarchs reminded: St. George's Church is one of the most revered temples of the Georgian people, and Baku has no right to carry out unannounced work that threatens its historical appearance. Azerbaijan's response turned out to be politicized and mature. In an open letter, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry accused the GOC of "territorial claims" and trying to "attribute Azerbaijan's Christian heritage to Georgia." Moreover, Baku demanded not even to use the terms "Kherti" and "Kurmuh", regarding it as an infringement of sovereignty.