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MP IN YEREVAN SAYS GEORGIAN ARMENIANS WANT 'DIARCHY' TO END, STILL EXPECT IVANISHVILI TO DELIVER
NEWS | 28.06.13 | 09:31
Photolure
Tachat Vardapetyan
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Georgian Armenians expect Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to show
'more realistic' approaches to solving their problems, said a senior
member of the Union of Georgian Armenians based in Yerevan.
MP Tachat Vardapetyan, the co-chairman of the Union, says clarity in
Georgian politics will be introduced after the presidential election
due in October as the atmosphere of diarchy does not suit Georgia's
interests.
Ivanishvili's party won in last year's parliamentary elections beating
President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party. Ivanishvili then was
appointed prime minister, who holds more power than the president
under Georgia's reformed constitution.
"The Ivanishvili government still has work to do, and if his political
party is also successful in the presidential elections, changes that
he has promised must be more significant," says Vardapetyan, who
believes that regardless of who is in power in Georgia Armenia needs
to have warm relations with this neighboring country, while Georgian
authorities need to create favorable conditions for ethnic Armenians.
According to Vardapetyan, it is crucial for Armenia to have good
relations with Georgia, since Georgia is the only Christian country
bordering Armenia and is it only gateway to the world.
According to official figures, nearly 250,000 Armenians live in
Georgia today, but unofficial estimates put their number at 460,000.
While the share of Armenians in the total population of Georgia has
been shown as decreasing - from 8 percent in 1989 to 5.7 percent in
the early 2000s, the problems of the Armenian community do not seem to
become fewer despite promises from successive Georgian governments.
Vardapetyan says that the Ivanishvili party enticed Javakhk Armenians
and Armenians in the rest of Georgia with its pre-election promises.
Vardapetyan says he does not want to jump to conclusions as to whom
Georgian Armenians and, in particular, Armenians in the predominantly
Armenian-populated Javakhk province of Georgia, will support in the
October ballot, but says that the Ivanishvili government has a high
rating today.
"Under Saakashvili's rule they saw both positive and negative changes,
but as far as cultural, linguistic and religious issues are concerned,
Armenians in Javakhk are likely to pin their hopes on the newly
elected government and the promises that have been voiced and
reaffirmed by Ivanishvili during his visit to Yerevan back in
January," says Vardapetyan, adding that among Ivanishvili's promises
is also the one on the opening of a railway connecting Armenia and
Javakhk, which will bring Armenia out of the blockade.
Addressing Javakhk emigration problems, Vardapetyan says emigration
was high particularly during the first years of Georgia's
independence, while recently Javakhk has seen a period of revival as
"some of Javakhk's prominent sons have been making investments in
their homeland, trying to rebuild it."
"Investment and charitable programs are being implemented in Javakhk,
new productions are being set up, Armenian churches are being restored
at a fast pace, which is very important for Javakhk," says
Vardapetyan.
NEWS | 28.06.13 | 09:31
Photolure
Tachat Vardapetyan
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Georgian Armenians expect Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to show
'more realistic' approaches to solving their problems, said a senior
member of the Union of Georgian Armenians based in Yerevan.
MP Tachat Vardapetyan, the co-chairman of the Union, says clarity in
Georgian politics will be introduced after the presidential election
due in October as the atmosphere of diarchy does not suit Georgia's
interests.
Ivanishvili's party won in last year's parliamentary elections beating
President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party. Ivanishvili then was
appointed prime minister, who holds more power than the president
under Georgia's reformed constitution.
"The Ivanishvili government still has work to do, and if his political
party is also successful in the presidential elections, changes that
he has promised must be more significant," says Vardapetyan, who
believes that regardless of who is in power in Georgia Armenia needs
to have warm relations with this neighboring country, while Georgian
authorities need to create favorable conditions for ethnic Armenians.
According to Vardapetyan, it is crucial for Armenia to have good
relations with Georgia, since Georgia is the only Christian country
bordering Armenia and is it only gateway to the world.
According to official figures, nearly 250,000 Armenians live in
Georgia today, but unofficial estimates put their number at 460,000.
While the share of Armenians in the total population of Georgia has
been shown as decreasing - from 8 percent in 1989 to 5.7 percent in
the early 2000s, the problems of the Armenian community do not seem to
become fewer despite promises from successive Georgian governments.
Vardapetyan says that the Ivanishvili party enticed Javakhk Armenians
and Armenians in the rest of Georgia with its pre-election promises.
Vardapetyan says he does not want to jump to conclusions as to whom
Georgian Armenians and, in particular, Armenians in the predominantly
Armenian-populated Javakhk province of Georgia, will support in the
October ballot, but says that the Ivanishvili government has a high
rating today.
"Under Saakashvili's rule they saw both positive and negative changes,
but as far as cultural, linguistic and religious issues are concerned,
Armenians in Javakhk are likely to pin their hopes on the newly
elected government and the promises that have been voiced and
reaffirmed by Ivanishvili during his visit to Yerevan back in
January," says Vardapetyan, adding that among Ivanishvili's promises
is also the one on the opening of a railway connecting Armenia and
Javakhk, which will bring Armenia out of the blockade.
Addressing Javakhk emigration problems, Vardapetyan says emigration
was high particularly during the first years of Georgia's
independence, while recently Javakhk has seen a period of revival as
"some of Javakhk's prominent sons have been making investments in
their homeland, trying to rebuild it."
"Investment and charitable programs are being implemented in Javakhk,
new productions are being set up, Armenian churches are being restored
at a fast pace, which is very important for Javakhk," says
Vardapetyan.