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THE AWAKENING OF A VOLCANO
Georgia Today, Georgia
March 22 2013
The "awakening of a volcano" - this is how the document adopted at
the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo (council) last week can be assessed. The
document was about granting the Armenian language the status of
a regional language. Akhalkalaki is an administrative district in
Samtskhe-Javakheti, in southeastern Georgia, with a predominantly
ethnic Armenian population.
It is common knowledge that separatism has always existed in
Javakheti. The question is, why has the issue arisen now?
At first glance, officials in Yerevan, the main ideological sponsor
of Armenians in Javakheti, should not be interested in damaging
relations with one of its close neighbors and risk finding itself
in a full transport blockade. Therefore, whose interests does the
document being adopted in Akhalkalaki serve?
Agasi Arabyan, president of the Russia-based Javakheti Diaspora
group, says that the only goal of the local Armenian population is
to improve their economic conditions. He says that it has nothing to
do with separatism.
"In January 2013, when Bidzina Ivanishvili completed his official visit
to Armenia, I was planning to meet him, so I went to Yerevan. I was
promised that I would have a brief meeting with him. But for whatever
reason, the meeting unfortunately did not take place," Arabyan
explains. "Recently, we addressed the Georgian government with the
request and a proposition to revise the issue of Samtskhe-Javakheti's
status, declaring it a free trade zone. However, the new government
of Georgia has not responded to our request," Arabyan says.
The initiative of creating a free economic zone in Javakheti is not
new. The Javakheti Diaspora has taken the issue to the Saakashvili
government in previous years. However, they received a strict
rejection from the president. "Implanting a new idea of separatism"
this is how President Saakashvili referred to the initiative then.
After the 2008 August War, in order to avoid more aggression,
Georgia began deepening relations with its neighbors. This new
neighborhood policy should have played the role of 'thunder-averter'
against Armenian separatism in Georgia. More specifically, President
Sargsyan and President Saakashvili agreed in Yerevan to jointly build
the transport corridor for Goderdzi Pass in Adjara. On the one hand,
this was an agreement with Armenia that gave them a way to the sea
and on the other hand, a guarantee for Georgia of non-interference
in its internal affairs.
However, after the October 1 elections there is now a different
political reality. When the government of Prime Minister Ivanishvili
released Vahan Chakhalyan, head of the United Javakheti movement from
prison through amnesty, President Saakashvili accused the largely
Georgian Dream parliament and the prime minsiter of anti-state actions.
The situation will definitely be reflected in the recently planned
projects. For example, the opening of Goderdzi tunnel will be
postponed, even though it is highly anticipated in Yerevan.
Exchange of accusations
During the pre-election period, when the leader of the Georgian Dream,
Bidzina Ivanishvili, was visiting Akhalkalaki, locals asked him about
the status of the Armenian language and he responded: "Georgian is the
state language but it does not contradict with the idea that people
speak Armenian in regions densely populated with ethnic Armenians.
People should have the choice, what is more convenient and pleasant
for them. They should choose which language to speak; no one should
be imposing it on them."
Exactly five months after his comments, the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo
adopted the scandalous statement, which made the news last week.
Nevertheless, the Ivanishvili government is accusing President
Saakashvili's "inconsiderate politics" for this current problem
regarding the Armenian language. There is talk about the obligations
taken in exchange for Georgia's membership to the Council of Europe in
1999 that Georgia joins the European Charter for Regional and Minority
Languages, which envisages support of ethnic minority languages.
Meanwhile, the United National Movement is accusing the Ivanishvili
government of "inconsiderate actions".
It is probably too late to decide who is right. Shirak Torosyan,
head of the non-governmental organization of the Armenian Diaspora
"Kavakhk", a member of Armenia's Republican Party and a member of
parliament, agrees with this assumption.
"The decision of the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo is belated," Torosyan says.
According to him, Sakrebulo should have demanded the status of
Armenian as a regional language during the "anti-Armenian regime"
of Saakashvili. Now that the government is fulfilling its promises
and is planning to ratify the European Charter, as Torosyan says,
the statement of Sakrebulo is less significant."
By Zaza Jgharkava 21.03.2013
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=10951
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Georgia Today, Georgia
March 22 2013
The "awakening of a volcano" - this is how the document adopted at
the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo (council) last week can be assessed. The
document was about granting the Armenian language the status of
a regional language. Akhalkalaki is an administrative district in
Samtskhe-Javakheti, in southeastern Georgia, with a predominantly
ethnic Armenian population.
It is common knowledge that separatism has always existed in
Javakheti. The question is, why has the issue arisen now?
At first glance, officials in Yerevan, the main ideological sponsor
of Armenians in Javakheti, should not be interested in damaging
relations with one of its close neighbors and risk finding itself
in a full transport blockade. Therefore, whose interests does the
document being adopted in Akhalkalaki serve?
Agasi Arabyan, president of the Russia-based Javakheti Diaspora
group, says that the only goal of the local Armenian population is
to improve their economic conditions. He says that it has nothing to
do with separatism.
"In January 2013, when Bidzina Ivanishvili completed his official visit
to Armenia, I was planning to meet him, so I went to Yerevan. I was
promised that I would have a brief meeting with him. But for whatever
reason, the meeting unfortunately did not take place," Arabyan
explains. "Recently, we addressed the Georgian government with the
request and a proposition to revise the issue of Samtskhe-Javakheti's
status, declaring it a free trade zone. However, the new government
of Georgia has not responded to our request," Arabyan says.
The initiative of creating a free economic zone in Javakheti is not
new. The Javakheti Diaspora has taken the issue to the Saakashvili
government in previous years. However, they received a strict
rejection from the president. "Implanting a new idea of separatism"
this is how President Saakashvili referred to the initiative then.
After the 2008 August War, in order to avoid more aggression,
Georgia began deepening relations with its neighbors. This new
neighborhood policy should have played the role of 'thunder-averter'
against Armenian separatism in Georgia. More specifically, President
Sargsyan and President Saakashvili agreed in Yerevan to jointly build
the transport corridor for Goderdzi Pass in Adjara. On the one hand,
this was an agreement with Armenia that gave them a way to the sea
and on the other hand, a guarantee for Georgia of non-interference
in its internal affairs.
However, after the October 1 elections there is now a different
political reality. When the government of Prime Minister Ivanishvili
released Vahan Chakhalyan, head of the United Javakheti movement from
prison through amnesty, President Saakashvili accused the largely
Georgian Dream parliament and the prime minsiter of anti-state actions.
The situation will definitely be reflected in the recently planned
projects. For example, the opening of Goderdzi tunnel will be
postponed, even though it is highly anticipated in Yerevan.
Exchange of accusations
During the pre-election period, when the leader of the Georgian Dream,
Bidzina Ivanishvili, was visiting Akhalkalaki, locals asked him about
the status of the Armenian language and he responded: "Georgian is the
state language but it does not contradict with the idea that people
speak Armenian in regions densely populated with ethnic Armenians.
People should have the choice, what is more convenient and pleasant
for them. They should choose which language to speak; no one should
be imposing it on them."
Exactly five months after his comments, the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo
adopted the scandalous statement, which made the news last week.
Nevertheless, the Ivanishvili government is accusing President
Saakashvili's "inconsiderate politics" for this current problem
regarding the Armenian language. There is talk about the obligations
taken in exchange for Georgia's membership to the Council of Europe in
1999 that Georgia joins the European Charter for Regional and Minority
Languages, which envisages support of ethnic minority languages.
Meanwhile, the United National Movement is accusing the Ivanishvili
government of "inconsiderate actions".
It is probably too late to decide who is right. Shirak Torosyan,
head of the non-governmental organization of the Armenian Diaspora
"Kavakhk", a member of Armenia's Republican Party and a member of
parliament, agrees with this assumption.
"The decision of the Akhalkalaki Sakrebulo is belated," Torosyan says.
According to him, Sakrebulo should have demanded the status of
Armenian as a regional language during the "anti-Armenian regime"
of Saakashvili. Now that the government is fulfilling its promises
and is planning to ratify the European Charter, as Torosyan says,
the statement of Sakrebulo is less significant."
By Zaza Jgharkava 21.03.2013
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=10951
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress