“Claim for autonomy for the Armenian-populated Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti is an approach by the local population. There is no political implication, all the problems are of social nature,” Head of the Armenian Republican Faction Galust Sahakyan has said on March 14. According to him, all the regional problems should be settled on the basis of Armenian-Georgian talks. By the way, Galust Saakyan disagreed with Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze, who had said that “in Akhalkalaki District of Georgia there some forces that try to increase tension between the Armenian and Georgian population.”
In his turn, Head of the National Revival Party Albert Bazeyan announced that the Armenian authorities should try to influence the processes at the top level to escape more aggravation of tension: “we do not need another unfriendly neighbor.” “Apart from the social issues of the Armenian population of Javakh mentioned above, there is a series of political problems, issues concerning preservation of the national originality. I think, the question of granting the status of cultural autonomy to this region should be discussed,” said Bazeyan.
Meanwhile, as a REGNUM correspondent reports, representatives of Javakh Union at a meeting with the press spoke for holding a referendum in Javakheti, “that will make it clear what the Javakheti people want: either living in Georgia, Armenia, Russia or another state, or gaining independence.” Answering the question, whether the escalation of tension in Javakheti contains a treat that Armenia would obtain the second front taking into consideration the unsettled Karabakh issue, members of the council said: “Why should we be afraid of the second front? If we have a second front, by Georgia it will be the fourth one.”
The Javakh Council also adopted a statement addressed to the Armenian and Georgian authorities.
The statement says that “the Javakh Council has repeatedly appealed to the Armenian authorities to pay appropriate attention to the problems of Javakh Armenians and to acknowledge the political element in these problems,” but “the appeals remained unanswered.” As the statement runs further, the Georgian party “was inspired by the total indifference of the Armenian authorities,” which made the former to be “more unruly.”
The authors of the statement do not rule out that “third parties, in particular, Azerbaijan and Turkey, would participate in kindling anti-Armenian activities.” The council puts responsibility for all incidents to the Georgian government and the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The council condemned anti-Armenian activities and demonstration of national discrimination, expressed its support for Armenians in Javakheti and urged the Armenian government to call upon the Georgian government to condemn and punish instigators of the anti-Armenian activities.
It also called the Armenian authorities together with the Georgian party to work out an action plan towards justified settlement of all the problems of Javakh, including political ones.
The Javakh Council assured that it would its utmost to protect Armenians of Javakh and Georgia, to prevent from expelling Armenians from the region. It also promised “to make an appropriate counterstrike to anti-Armenian provocations.”
Permanent news address: www.regnum.ru/english/605829.html
17:24 03/14/2006
English
