Fire in Tbilisi’s Armenian church was not deliberate - minister of culture.

The recent fire in Tbilisi’s St. Nshan church was not a premeditated plot, according to the minister of culture.

At a news conference on Thursday, Hasmik Poghosyan said the New Year fireworks caused the big fire inside the Armenian church.

“The flame in the church slowly developed into fire. It is very important for us to be careful about our remarks. Experts from Armenia arrived in the scene to find out that there was no deliberate fire,” she asserted.

The minister warned that negligent remarks can very easily fuel hostility between neighboring countries. 

She said the Ministry always send its specialists to the scene in such situations to know their professional opinion. 

“The church is really endangered. It stands on three pillars. Before our departure, the Georgian authorities allotted sums for fostering it,” she said.

The minister said Georgia has promised to undertake the church’s renovation.

The urgent fostering set to begin this year will also involve Armenian specialists.