Georgia Bans Armenian Monument Expert’s Entry

Samvel Karapetyan (Source: Armenpress)

YEREVAN (Armenpress)””Samvel Karapetyan, famous expert on monuments, historian, and chairman of the Yerevan Office of Foundation for Research on Armenian Architecture, has appeared in the list of undesirable persons in Georgia. On October 18, his entry was banned at a checkpoint of Sadakhlo. During an interview, Karapetyan said that he had never broken any laws of Georgia, and that he is confident that the ban is connected with his professional activities.

Karapetyan has been examining Armenian monuments which have been destroyed, usurped or have appeared in a poor condition in Georgia for many years. During his most recent trip, he had organized a 10-day expedition to Georgia for more research when he was stopped at entry and told he was “Our entire group passed the border and I was the last one. I encountered problems crossing the Georgian border back in 2011; I was always detained at the checkpoint for 10-15 minutes. This time I was held for 35 minutes, and then an officer told me that I was banned to enter”