CONDITIONS PROPOSED BY NATO TO GEORGIA TO ALSO CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR SETTLEMENT OF PROBLEMS OF JAVAKHK ARMENIANS
Noyan Tapan
April 8, 2008
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The striving of Georgia for being
included in the structure of NATO can have a positive influence on
the settlement of the problems of the Armenians of Javakhk. This
point of view was expressed by political scientist Sergei Minasian,
the Deputy Head of the Caucasian Institute of Media, at the press
conference, which was held on April 8. In his words, the conditions
proposed by NATO to Georgia, assume defence of the rights of national
minorities. Therefore, as Sergei Minasian expressed hope, the striving
of Georgia for the membership in the North-Atlantic Treaty will serve
as basis for the elimination of, first of all, the linguistic problems
of the Armenians of Javakhk.
Reminding that the authorities of Georgia oblige all the state
workers to master the Georgian language, he mentioned: "the European
experience shows that in a region, where the national minority makes
15-20 percent, the language of that people is granted with the status
of a regional language."
The same law, in the conviction of the political scientist, should
operate also in Javakhk, where Armenians make about 95 percent of
the total number of the population.
As Shirak Torosian, an MP of the RA National Assembly added, the
Armenians of Javakhk have recently held a signature gathering demanding
to give a regional status to their native language. In contrary to
this, according to the MP, the authorities of Georgia periodically make
statements about making the country a unitary state. Shirak Torosian
stated that in Javakhk principals of schools are released from the
offices they held only for the reason that they do not master the
Georgian language. In his conviction, the Georgian authorities should
give at least 10-15 years to people so as they gradually learn Georgian
and so as they smoothly pass from Armenian to Georgian in offices.
Noyan Tapan
April 8, 2008
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The striving of Georgia for being
included in the structure of NATO can have a positive influence on
the settlement of the problems of the Armenians of Javakhk. This
point of view was expressed by political scientist Sergei Minasian,
the Deputy Head of the Caucasian Institute of Media, at the press
conference, which was held on April 8. In his words, the conditions
proposed by NATO to Georgia, assume defence of the rights of national
minorities. Therefore, as Sergei Minasian expressed hope, the striving
of Georgia for the membership in the North-Atlantic Treaty will serve
as basis for the elimination of, first of all, the linguistic problems
of the Armenians of Javakhk.
Reminding that the authorities of Georgia oblige all the state
workers to master the Georgian language, he mentioned: "the European
experience shows that in a region, where the national minority makes
15-20 percent, the language of that people is granted with the status
of a regional language."
The same law, in the conviction of the political scientist, should
operate also in Javakhk, where Armenians make about 95 percent of
the total number of the population.
As Shirak Torosian, an MP of the RA National Assembly added, the
Armenians of Javakhk have recently held a signature gathering demanding
to give a regional status to their native language. In contrary to
this, according to the MP, the authorities of Georgia periodically make
statements about making the country a unitary state. Shirak Torosian
stated that in Javakhk principals of schools are released from the
offices they held only for the reason that they do not master the
Georgian language. In his conviction, the Georgian authorities should
give at least 10-15 years to people so as they gradually learn Georgian
and so as they smoothly pass from Armenian to Georgian in offices.