Monastery on the border? Everything will remain the same...

Azerbaijan has no territorial claims against Georgia, while the radical nationalist groups in Georgia periodically wake up such claims, especially since the delimitation and demarcation of the borders between these states has not yet been completed. Both states have a common border with a length of 446 kilometers, a third of which is still not delimited.

A bilateral intergovernmental commission on border delimitation was established in 1996, and by 2007, 70% of the border had been delimited. Some controversial issues remained, in particular regarding the Keshikchidag monastery and the village of Erisimedi. In 2008, war broke out in South Ossetia, then in 2012, a new government came, and the problem with the border was put on hold.

It can be said that the public in Azerbaijan was completely unaware and was not interested in the problem of borders with Georgia and, specifically, the fate of the monastery, however, apparently, this monastery has acquired great spiritual significance for Georgia, and for religious holidays, the monastery attracts masses of believers.

In Georgia, the main political parties did not deal with the ownership of the monastery, except for the Alliance of Patriots Party (nationalist, pro-Russian party). Small groups of radical believing citizens, small nationalist and student groups were especially active in this issue, and they all demanded that the territory be transferred from the Azerbaijani part of the Georgian monastery.

The new portion of fuel for the conflict added the newly elected Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili. Visiting the monastery in February and April 2019, she vigorously called for the urgent resumption of the work of the interstate commission on the issue of delimitation and demarcation of borders between states, which was supported by the Azerbaijani side. However, the vigor of S. Zurabishvili caused a big wave of tension in Georgia and anxiety in Azerbaijan.

(It is noteworthy that the President of Georgia examined the Georgian part of the monastery together with representatives of the European organization for the protection of cultural heritage Europa Nostra, which declared this monastery complex a threatened monument.)

Today, the situation with the monastery is as follows: a part of the monastery complex is located on Georgian territory, and part of it is on Azerbaijani territory, however, Georgian citizens are allowed to cross the border without hindrance and visit the Azerbaijani part of the monastery.

On April 25, 2019, for the purpose of security for Formula 1, the Azerbaijani side closed free access to the monastery for Georgian citizens, which caused mass protests in Georgia and led to increased border control by Azerbaijan. After three days, the access of Georgian citizens to the monastery was restored by Azerbaijani border guards, but tensions in the public in both countries remained. Now we have to wait for the decision of the interstate commission resuming its work on this issue.

What can be the basis of the decisions of the interstate commission in this matter? Of course, this commission may take into account the historical cultural aspect of the problem, but these aspects cannot be mandatory. It may not be an obligatory argument that 1000 years ago a certain object was built by one of the parties, especially since both sides claim that the monastery complex was created by representatives of its population. So Azerbaijani scientists argue that the Azerbaijani part of the monastery complex - cells located in caves on the Azerbaijani slopes - were created by neither Georgians nor Albanians, but by the local population long before Christianity, and Georgian frescoes and other artifacts appeared there later.

What the interstate commission must necessarily take into account is the borders of the Georgian and Azerbaijan SSR at the time of the termination of the Soviet Union in 1991. The main document in this case should be the last decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the definition of administrative borders between these republics, because these borders of the parties the international community and the boundaries should be determined according to this regulation.

Looking at the state of the remaining borders of the USSR today, we can confidently say that the latest decree on the borders of the USSR Council of Ministers coincides exactly with modern borders and thus one part of the monastic complex belongs to Georgia and the other to Azerbaijan.

In this case, we can assume that the Georgian side will offer to exchange the Azerbaijani part of the territory of the monastery for some equivalent Georgian territory near the border. However, so far, the Azerbaijani side has rejected this proposal, since the land requested by the Georgians has both cultural and military-strategic importance for Azerbaijan. In addition, Azerbaijan, being in conflict with Armenia, is very sensitive to the issue of border revision, land transfer, status changes and so on ... "There are no talks about the transfer of land," the highest representatives of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

It should be born in mind and the new European philosophy in this matter. As the Helsinki Act approved, such problems should not be resolved by all sorts of painful and territorial exchanges, but by improving the rights of citizens, their access to cultural, social, and economic rights close to them.

Not a change of borders, but human rights, this is what the European conventions, which both countries have signed, dictate to us.

Thus, only one possible solution to the problem is:

- The Azerbaijani part of the monastery remains behind Azerbaijan.

- The access of Georgian citizens to the Azerbaijani territory of the monastery will be maximally facilitated and...

- Everything will remain the same.