Where should the youth of Javakhk build its future?

Yerkir, Yerevan
5 Nov 04

by Vahe Sarkisyan’s

The Armenian mass media have been talking lately a lot about the
living standards of the Armenian residents of Javakhk [predominantly
Armenian-populated Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda districts in Georgia’s
Samtskhe-Javakheti Region], their social and economic status and their
national and also religious rights being violated by the Georgian
government. Let us touch on another painful problem of the region: the
youth problem.

What do the youth of this region have today and what do they expect
from the future? Let us start by mentioning various programmes which
have been carried out in this region with only one goal in mind: to
make Armenians to leave the region under false pretext.

The problem of forcing the Armenians leave Akhalkalaki has already
been resolved. What is taking place in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda
where 96 per cent of the population is Armenian? First, it is
officially forbidden to teach the Armenian language, the history of
Armenia and Armenian literature at schools, which is an important
factor in the weakening of national consciousness among the
youth. Although high ranking officials have been spreading rumours
about the Armenian-Georgian contracts according to which Armenia
provides Javahkh with electricity, it is a mirage in the desert of
Armenian-Georgian relations. In reality there is an overall eclipse in
Javakhk as in Armenia at the beginning of the 90-s. In such conditions
the youth are isolated from culture, theatre, cinema.

In addition to all this a decision has been taken recently that 500
Armenian serving at the Russian 62 military base will be replaced by
Russians, and the Armenian families will be transferred deep into the
territory of Russia. Assuming that there are two to three children in
every family, it means that another 1,200 to 1,500 Armenian children
will leave Javakhk.

Let us note one more factor: the well-known Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline which has come to sow discord among the peaceful population
in the northern villages of the region. This is a huge construction
project which will affect the areas under crops, fields and sand-pits
in these villages. Moreover, the programme’s managers have pledged to
pay huge sums of money to the residents of these villages and as a
result those naive residents believed them and are now quarrelling
over the money, thus showing any lack of respect for their national
and human values.

Balancing such an unstable act may be difficult for the youth of
Javakheti. They may decide to go to Armenia or to Russia where living
conditions are more favourable but where there is no guarantee that
they will maintain their national identity. In both cases Armenians
are leaving Javakhk.