It’s Cold And Boring In Javakhk

Youth Leaves for Russia

Azg/am
12 Oct 04

“There are many young people leaving Javakhk for Russia in search
of jobs and better life now-a-days. They don’t give their way of
“Javakhki” thinking in that country. There are many cases of mixed
marriages with Russians. They often leave their wives and children
here and start a new family abroad. There are villages in Javakhk
with only female population”, Samvel Babayan, priest of Surb Khach
church in Akhalkalak, says.

Vartan Hakobian, 26, has been in Russia for 4 years and now is back
in Akhalkalak (administrative center of Javakhk). “There are less
people able to leave for Russia now because of the visa regime but all
those who managed to cross the border do everything not to return”,
Vartan says.

Georgian “Rose Revolution” didn’t reach Javakhk. Although 98 percent of
Javakhk’s population voted for Saakashvili, they are not satisfied now.
Nothing has changed for good, people say.

Ararat Yesoyan is the head of the Center for Reforms’ Support and
Democratic Development. He points out that the former Georgian leader
Sheverdnadze used to act on the sly and kept everything under wraps
but Saakashvili is different, he is outspoken.

“There has always been discrimination but today it’s more obvious.
Compulsory learning of Georgian, absence of autonomous leadership,
keeping Armenians off ranks, absence of electricity and propped up
emigration are signs of discrimination. All the programs of social
and economic development Tbilisi draws up for Javakhk remain only
on paper. They were written only to throw dust in foreigners’ eyes”,
Yesoyan says.

“It’s not a problem to learn Georgian but if forced, it may cause in
assimilation. There are more than 100 thousand Armenians in Tbilisi
with brilliant knowledge of Georgian. How many of them are better
off? Georgian language is a means of keeping us off the jobs”, he adds.

Davit Rstakian is the co-chairman of Virk party of Javakhk. He says
that situation got even worse with Saakashvili in power. There is
no paved road, no investment, no electricity. “Armenia allocated $2
millions to construct Ashotsk-Ninotsminda medium-voltage line. Why
there is no electricity now?”, Rstakian says.

Artur Yeremian, head of Akhalkalak administration, says that many
things have changed since Saakashvili took the office. “Georgia makes
its first steps as a state. The government had a debt of 22 months’
salary to the budget employees, yet, today all the debts to teachers
are reimbursed. 2.7 kilometers of road have been paved this year. There
is also money allocated to rebuild 9 schools”, Yeremian says.

Javakhk has been Georgia’s most underdeveloped region for
decades. For Akhalkalak’s population, 95 percent of which are
Armenians, agriculture (potato growing) and cattle-breeding are the
main source of survival. Javakhk is Georgia’s Siberia with 7 months
of winter and 5 months of spring.

Levon Levanian is national plenipotentiary representative in the
regions of Akhalkalak and Nonotsminda. He says that there is no
apparent discrimination against Armenians, only some rules are written
without considering minority’s opinion. He reminded the educational
law project according to which all school subjects will be taught in
Georgian but Armenian language and literature. “If the law project
isn’t changed that will mean a discrimination”, Levanian said.

Levanian mentioned rise of the pension and reimbursement of wages
among the reforms. “It’s fine that there is no road police any more
and people are able to transfer their goods freely”, he added.

Head of Javakhk’s A-info news agency Khachatur Stepanian agrees that
most of the news coming from Javakhk is disturbing. “If Armenians
of Javakhk live on the same level as inhabitants of other Georgian
regions that is only due to our diligence”, Stepanian says.

Ararat Yesoyan suggested journalists from Armenia pay more attention
to Javakhk and organize disputes over certain issues. “We want to
know the attitude of the Armenian government and the parliament, what
Armenians think. Officials recall us only when they need us”, he says.

By Tatoul Hakobian from Akhalkalak

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress