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GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES UNDERMINE JAVAKHK COMMUNITY MEETING
asbarez
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
In Brussels Gabrieylan (right) met with Traian Ungureanu (left)
member of the Euro-Parliament Committee of Foreign Relations with
Kaspar Garabedian (center)
JAVAKHK (A-Info.)--Georgian authorities directly undermined a community
gathering during which the coordinator of the Council of Armenian
Organizations (NGOs) of Javakhk and director of the A-Info news agency
Artak Gabrielyan was scheduled to brief the Armenian community about
his meetings with European officials in Brussels earlier this month.
The organizers of the community forum had invited leaders and
representatives of human rights, political, cultural and education
organizations as well as the media from throughout Javakhk, including
Akhalkalak, Nino-Dzminda, Akhalktskha and Dzalka.
However, according to organizers, hours before the meeting was
scheduled to begin, members of organizations began calling to say that
they had received calls from "above" dissuading them from attending
the community forum. The organizers were also not allowed to use a
municipal hall for the gathering.
During his meetings in Brusseles, Gabrielyan introduced the plight
of the Armenian community Javakhk, highlighting that his visit to
Brussels comes as a result of the refusal of Georgian authorities to
meet with representatives of the Javakhk Armenian community.
According to Gabrielyan, the move to impede participation in the
community forum demonstrates the importance of the gathering and
signals a direct involvement by the Power Structures--Prosecutor's
Office, Internal Ministry and Armed Forces--which is a serious concern
for the Armenian of Javakhk.
The community forum instead was held at the offices of the Council
of Armenian Organizations (NGOs) with only 30 participants who were
briefed about the meetings and a Memorandum to the European Parliament,
which details the issues facing Javakhk and highlights demands that
have been put forth by the Council of Armenian Organizations (NGOs)
of Samtskhe-Javakhk.
The demands Samtskhe-Javakheti Armenians include: 1. Granting of
autonomous territorial status (with its own directly elected assembly)
to Samtskhe-Javakheti and the adjacent Armenian majority Tsalka
district within a federal Georgia; 2. Allowing the use of the Armenian
language in public administration in those municipalities--such as
Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda--in which Armenians make up a majority;
an unfulfilled accession commitment Georgia undertook when it joined
the Council of Europe in 1999, namely the signing of the European
Charter for Regional and Minority Languages; 3. Social and economic
development projects for the region to bring it up to par with the
rest of the country; 4. Improved Armenian representation in local
and state institutions; and 5. An end to social engineering by the
settlement of ethnic non-Armenians from other parts of the country
in Samtskhe-Javakheti.
In addressing the authorities efforts to undermine the forum,
Gabrielyan expressed disappointment that community members were
deprived of the opportunity to hear, first hand, about the meeting in
Brussels and will have to now get their information from second-hand,
unreliable, sources.
Gabriyelian reiterated the position that Georgia must become
a federated state, a concept, which he said was echoed by many
of the European officials he met in Brussels. He stressed that he
viewed Javakhk's future as an autonomous entity within the proposed
federated Georgia.
In Brussels Gabrieylan (right) met with Traian Ungureanu (left)
member of the Euro-Parliament Committee of Foreign Relations with
Kaspar Garabedian (center)
asbarez
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
In Brussels Gabrieylan (right) met with Traian Ungureanu (left)
member of the Euro-Parliament Committee of Foreign Relations with
Kaspar Garabedian (center)
JAVAKHK (A-Info.)--Georgian authorities directly undermined a community
gathering during which the coordinator of the Council of Armenian
Organizations (NGOs) of Javakhk and director of the A-Info news agency
Artak Gabrielyan was scheduled to brief the Armenian community about
his meetings with European officials in Brussels earlier this month.
The organizers of the community forum had invited leaders and
representatives of human rights, political, cultural and education
organizations as well as the media from throughout Javakhk, including
Akhalkalak, Nino-Dzminda, Akhalktskha and Dzalka.
However, according to organizers, hours before the meeting was
scheduled to begin, members of organizations began calling to say that
they had received calls from "above" dissuading them from attending
the community forum. The organizers were also not allowed to use a
municipal hall for the gathering.
During his meetings in Brusseles, Gabrielyan introduced the plight
of the Armenian community Javakhk, highlighting that his visit to
Brussels comes as a result of the refusal of Georgian authorities to
meet with representatives of the Javakhk Armenian community.
According to Gabrielyan, the move to impede participation in the
community forum demonstrates the importance of the gathering and
signals a direct involvement by the Power Structures--Prosecutor's
Office, Internal Ministry and Armed Forces--which is a serious concern
for the Armenian of Javakhk.
The community forum instead was held at the offices of the Council
of Armenian Organizations (NGOs) with only 30 participants who were
briefed about the meetings and a Memorandum to the European Parliament,
which details the issues facing Javakhk and highlights demands that
have been put forth by the Council of Armenian Organizations (NGOs)
of Samtskhe-Javakhk.
The demands Samtskhe-Javakheti Armenians include: 1. Granting of
autonomous territorial status (with its own directly elected assembly)
to Samtskhe-Javakheti and the adjacent Armenian majority Tsalka
district within a federal Georgia; 2. Allowing the use of the Armenian
language in public administration in those municipalities--such as
Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda--in which Armenians make up a majority;
an unfulfilled accession commitment Georgia undertook when it joined
the Council of Europe in 1999, namely the signing of the European
Charter for Regional and Minority Languages; 3. Social and economic
development projects for the region to bring it up to par with the
rest of the country; 4. Improved Armenian representation in local
and state institutions; and 5. An end to social engineering by the
settlement of ethnic non-Armenians from other parts of the country
in Samtskhe-Javakheti.
In addressing the authorities efforts to undermine the forum,
Gabrielyan expressed disappointment that community members were
deprived of the opportunity to hear, first hand, about the meeting in
Brussels and will have to now get their information from second-hand,
unreliable, sources.
Gabriyelian reiterated the position that Georgia must become
a federated state, a concept, which he said was echoed by many
of the European officials he met in Brussels. He stressed that he
viewed Javakhk's future as an autonomous entity within the proposed
federated Georgia.
In Brussels Gabrieylan (right) met with Traian Ungureanu (left)
member of the Euro-Parliament Committee of Foreign Relations with
Kaspar Garabedian (center)