AKHALKALAK, JUNE 22, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. There are rumors circulating in Akhalkalak that employees of Georgian ministry of national security have forbidden the Armenian teachers of Jabakhk to attend retraining courses in Armenia. A-Info agency reported, referring to information from the Javakhk diocese of the Armenian Church that under a joint program with Armenian ministry of education and science, 150 Georgia-based teachers of the subject "the history of the Armenian Church" must undergo retraining in Armenia. However, serious problems have arisen with the Georgian ministry of national security. According to the rumors, the teachers were warned that in case of participation in the courses, they will face problems in the future as "sending them to Armenia actually pursues another goal". In the opinion of Javakheti Armenians, the National Security Service of Georgia has begun to display a ruder attitude and interfere in educational issues. Some believe that in reality this interference aims to restrict the rights of the Armenian Church and give a dominating role to the Georgian Church. A-Info reports that in this connection the Georgian Armenian teachers have applied to the ministry of education and science of that country and they expect a positive answer.

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