GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S SUPPORTERS WILL USE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE ISSUE TO EXACERBATE SITUATION - ARMENIAN MP
NEWS.AM
March 21, 2013 | 13:49
YEREVAN. - The representative body of Georgia's-primarily
Armenian-populated-Akhalkalaki city decided to petition to the
country's authorities, with a request to grant Armenian the status of
a regional language, Javakhk Patriotic Union Chairman and Armenia's
ruling Republican Party MP Shirak Torosyan stated during a press
conference on Thursday.
Giving an overall positive assessment to this initiative, Torosyan,
however, pointed to the "underwater ledges" of this development. The
thing is that the aforesaid body was formed by the pressure of the
staff of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
"How is it that this body [now] appears in the other camp? This will
give [Georgian] PM Bidzina Ivanishvili an opportunity to scold in
order to support the nationalist movements in the region. That is, this
matter helps exacerbate the situation in the region," Torosyan said.
In his view, granting Armenian the status of a regional language
is in Georgia's interests, since this is also in line with the
European approach. But, as per Torosyan, it should be taken into
consideration that in Javakhk-Georgian name: Javakheti, is a
predominantly-Armenian-populated part of Georgia's southeastern
Samtskhe-Javakheti Province-Saakashvili conducted a policy that was
dictated by the Azerbaijani-Turkish influence.
The Armenian MP also stressed that there is no separatism in Javakhk.
"That is a political slander by the former [Georgian] authorities.
They spoke about separatism to apply pressure, to carry out the
Azerbaijani-Turkish plans. We must give Bidzina Ivanishvili a chance
to fulfill his promises with respect to Georgia and Javakhk alike,"
Shirak Torosyan concluded.
From: A. Papazian
NEWS.AM
March 21, 2013 | 13:49
YEREVAN. - The representative body of Georgia's-primarily
Armenian-populated-Akhalkalaki city decided to petition to the
country's authorities, with a request to grant Armenian the status of
a regional language, Javakhk Patriotic Union Chairman and Armenia's
ruling Republican Party MP Shirak Torosyan stated during a press
conference on Thursday.
Giving an overall positive assessment to this initiative, Torosyan,
however, pointed to the "underwater ledges" of this development. The
thing is that the aforesaid body was formed by the pressure of the
staff of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
"How is it that this body [now] appears in the other camp? This will
give [Georgian] PM Bidzina Ivanishvili an opportunity to scold in
order to support the nationalist movements in the region. That is, this
matter helps exacerbate the situation in the region," Torosyan said.
In his view, granting Armenian the status of a regional language
is in Georgia's interests, since this is also in line with the
European approach. But, as per Torosyan, it should be taken into
consideration that in Javakhk-Georgian name: Javakheti, is a
predominantly-Armenian-populated part of Georgia's southeastern
Samtskhe-Javakheti Province-Saakashvili conducted a policy that was
dictated by the Azerbaijani-Turkish influence.
The Armenian MP also stressed that there is no separatism in Javakhk.
"That is a political slander by the former [Georgian] authorities.
They spoke about separatism to apply pressure, to carry out the
Azerbaijani-Turkish plans. We must give Bidzina Ivanishvili a chance
to fulfill his promises with respect to Georgia and Javakhk alike,"
Shirak Torosyan concluded.
From: A. Papazian