Street traders demand opening of the territory leading to Jvari Monastery that has been closed for already the second day.

Traders claim that the allegation in their address as if they are hampering the traffic movement and causing inconvenience to tourists is groundless.

Gogita Kapanadze, Mayor of Mtskheta Municipality is present at the site. Kapanadze claims that the territory does not belong to the church.

According to the head of the press service of the Patriarchate, Andrea Jagmaidze, the reason for the closure of the Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta is the situation created by the street traders. Currently, tourists are not let in the monastery. According to Andrea Jagmaidze, the street traders will presumably no longer be let to trade in the mentioned area.

“I know that the monastery was temporarily closed and the reason is the street traders. There is a very uncontrollable situation, which is inappropriate for the monastery. As far as I know, such a high number of street traders is a serious problem for the monastery. The situation must be regulated. As you know, this monastery is in the center of attention and guests of various ranks visit it. The flow of tourists is great, so naturally, the leader of the monastery demands regulation of the situation,” – said Archpriest Andrew Jagmaidze.