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AKHALKALAK REGIONAL ASSEMBLY'S DECISION CAUSES MUCH NOISE IN GEORGIA
http://www.arfd.info/2013/03/18/akhalkalak-regional-asseblys-decision-causes-much-noise-in-georgia/
March 18, 2013
(akhaltskha.net, March 18) - The decision of Akhalkalak Regional
Assembly to apply to Georgia's Parliament for the latter to ratify
the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and therefore
give the status of a regional language to Armenian has caused much
noise in that country.
Yesterday in reference to this matter, President Saakashvili stated
that the ratification of the Charter poses a menace to national
security and accused Armenians of nationalism.
United National Movement Secretary and former Internal Affairs
Minister, Vano Merabishvili said that during his nine-year in office
has done everything within his power to exclude the language issue
from being part of the agenda. "Davit Rsdakyan who was a member of the
Akhalkalak Sacrebulo (Regional Assembly) was always trying to raise
this issue and that is why we, along with the rest of the political
forces did everything so that he and other extremists like him don't
get in the Akhalkalak Sacrebulo" revealed Merabishivili.
In the words of Eka Beselia, Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament's
Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, the granting of regional
language status to the Armenian language is not on the Parliament's
agenda. Beselia said that this matter hasn't come out of the political
council yet and that the Parliament hasn't received any application
and therefore it hasn't discussed about it.
Tinatin Khidasheli, MP and leading figure of the Republicans thinks
that this is an issue for the Georgian people to consider. "If we are
moving in Europe's direction then we should fulfil this obligation and
it shouldn't matter who raised it because we undertook this obligation
in 1999" he said.
Georgia's First Deputy Foreign Minister, Davit Zalkaliani believes
that to be integrated in the Council of Europe, ratifying the Charter
is not necessary; moreover a negative decision from the Parliament
wouldn't affect the visa facilitation process with the CoE. "The
Parliament must make its decision by taking national interests under
consideration" Zalkaliani stated.
Circles close to the Georgian government are pointing that in 1999,
Saakashvili who was in favor of the approval of the Charter because
he wanted to accelerate Georgia's membmership in the Council of Europe.
The calls to ratify the Charter have also echoed in Akhalkalak.
Regional Assembly Chairperson Hamlet Movsisyan stated: "We insist
that the Parliament ratifies the Charter, which Georgia has joined
in 1999" and he stressed that the initiative belongs to "The Georgian
Dream" MPs.
The historic session
The members of the Assembly considered the March 14 session a
historic one, sknews.am reports (March 14). It lasted almost two
hours and was attended by Assembly members, civic organization
and media representatives. It was an initiative of the "Georgian
Dream-Republicans" coalition for the Assembly to discuss and then
apply to the Parliament for granting the Armenian language the status
of regional language. On February 25, the coalition fraction had
submitted a relative application to the Assembly and the Republicans
assumed that it would be discussed on the 27th but since it was not
properly evaluated it hadn't been included in that day's agenda.
From: Baghdasarian
http://www.arfd.info/2013/03/18/akhalkalak-regional-asseblys-decision-causes-much-noise-in-georgia/
March 18, 2013
(akhaltskha.net, March 18) - The decision of Akhalkalak Regional
Assembly to apply to Georgia's Parliament for the latter to ratify
the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and therefore
give the status of a regional language to Armenian has caused much
noise in that country.
Yesterday in reference to this matter, President Saakashvili stated
that the ratification of the Charter poses a menace to national
security and accused Armenians of nationalism.
United National Movement Secretary and former Internal Affairs
Minister, Vano Merabishvili said that during his nine-year in office
has done everything within his power to exclude the language issue
from being part of the agenda. "Davit Rsdakyan who was a member of the
Akhalkalak Sacrebulo (Regional Assembly) was always trying to raise
this issue and that is why we, along with the rest of the political
forces did everything so that he and other extremists like him don't
get in the Akhalkalak Sacrebulo" revealed Merabishivili.
In the words of Eka Beselia, Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament's
Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, the granting of regional
language status to the Armenian language is not on the Parliament's
agenda. Beselia said that this matter hasn't come out of the political
council yet and that the Parliament hasn't received any application
and therefore it hasn't discussed about it.
Tinatin Khidasheli, MP and leading figure of the Republicans thinks
that this is an issue for the Georgian people to consider. "If we are
moving in Europe's direction then we should fulfil this obligation and
it shouldn't matter who raised it because we undertook this obligation
in 1999" he said.
Georgia's First Deputy Foreign Minister, Davit Zalkaliani believes
that to be integrated in the Council of Europe, ratifying the Charter
is not necessary; moreover a negative decision from the Parliament
wouldn't affect the visa facilitation process with the CoE. "The
Parliament must make its decision by taking national interests under
consideration" Zalkaliani stated.
Circles close to the Georgian government are pointing that in 1999,
Saakashvili who was in favor of the approval of the Charter because
he wanted to accelerate Georgia's membmership in the Council of Europe.
The calls to ratify the Charter have also echoed in Akhalkalak.
Regional Assembly Chairperson Hamlet Movsisyan stated: "We insist
that the Parliament ratifies the Charter, which Georgia has joined
in 1999" and he stressed that the initiative belongs to "The Georgian
Dream" MPs.
The historic session
The members of the Assembly considered the March 14 session a
historic one, sknews.am reports (March 14). It lasted almost two
hours and was attended by Assembly members, civic organization
and media representatives. It was an initiative of the "Georgian
Dream-Republicans" coalition for the Assembly to discuss and then
apply to the Parliament for granting the Armenian language the status
of regional language. On February 25, the coalition fraction had
submitted a relative application to the Assembly and the Republicans
assumed that it would be discussed on the 27th but since it was not
properly evaluated it hadn't been included in that day's agenda.
From: Baghdasarian