ArmenPress
Dec 13 2004

GEORGIAN ARMENIANS REJECT AMALGAMATION

AKHALKALAKI, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Ethnic Armenian
non-governmental organizations in Georgia’s southern region of
Samtskhe Javakheti held last Saturday their first conference to
discuss ways out of heavy social, economic and cultural conditions,
experienced by the region’s mostly Armenian population.
Titled as Integration but not Merging the conference organizers
invited representatives of the UN, OSCE, European Commission, foreign
diplomats stationed in Tbilisi, parliament members, representatives
of local and central authorities and from Armenia, but only a
representative of the OSCE office in Tbilisi was present. Also
Armenian members of Georgian parliament elected from the region did
not attend it.
Local Armenians say in principle they are not against closer
integration with the rest of Georgia, but they reject the central
authorities’ integration policy which they say leads to their merging
with ethnic Georgians.
The conference adopted a resolution that outlines ways out of the
deep crisis experienced by the region. It also decided to set up a
task force that will be seeking to design development plans together
with Georgian government officials.