The Messenger, Georgia
July 13 2005

Economic proposals for Javakheti
President of Georgia suggests the region can become Georgian army’s
bread basket after Russians depart
By M. Alkhazashvili

Observers in Georgia and beyond are concerned that the withdraw of
the Russian military base from the largely ethnic Armenian city of
Akhalkalaki could create an economic vacuum in the already struggling
region.

Cut off from the rest of the country for a large part of the year
because of poor roads and extreme winters, Akhalkalaki’s largest
economic activity is the Russian military base, which relies on local
farms for foodstuffs and many local workers for its general
operation.

According to the newspaper Khvalindeli Dghe, on July 8 the speaker of
Armenia’s National Assembly Arthur Baghdasarian met with five
ethnic-Armenian members of the Georgian Parliament, Melik Raisian,
Aik Meltonian, Hamlet Movsesian, Genze Mkoian and Van Baiburt.

The paper cites Bagdasarian as saying the problems of Armenians
living in Georgia are permanently on the agenda of Armenia’s
legislature. After the meeting the speaker reportedly stated it is
necessary for he and his Georgian colleague Nino Burjanadze to travel
to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region on a working visit.

The paper also states that the five Georgian MPs believe it is
important to create a concrete development program for Georgian
regions settled by ethnic Armenians and to provide significant state
funds for this.

A large amount of funds are already in the pipeline, principally from
Millenium Challenge Georgia’s proposal to use U.S. funds to construct
a thoroughfare linking Akhalkalaki and its surrounding region to the
rest of the country. The Georgian government’s proposal seeks USD 120
million and anticipates breaking ground on the project in the autumn
if approved by Washington.

President Saakashvili has made two other proposals to support the
region economically in the absence of the Russian base. In spring he
stated Georgian forces based in Kakheti would be redeployed to the
region and thus provide the base’s present workers with continued
employment.

More recently in early July he stated that the Georgian armed forces
would use the region as its proverbial breadbasket, establishing
relations to regularly purchase portions of the region’s large
harvest.

“These people are selling their potatoes and dairy products in the
Russian army market. Thus I can understand why they are so worried by
the Russian military base’s removal – they think that they will be
left without an income,” Saakashvili said as quoted by the Russian
newspaper Nezavisimaia Gazeta.

“So we decided that these people have to carry on with their business
but now they must provide the Georgian army with food,” the president
said, adding that a similar effort would be made in ethnic-Azeri
regions with large vegetable harvests.

The Moscow-based Armenian political analyst Andranik Migranian
however casts aside these attempts and warns that there are even
larger problems emerging with the base withdrawal.

“It is impossible for us to ignore the fact that Georgia tries to
settle only Georgians in Javakheti. Such step will cause an ethnic
conflict. In schools of this region it is banned to study the history
of Armenia and Armenian churches are labeled as Georgians,” Migranian
said as quoted by the newspaper Khvalindeli Dghe.

He expressed concerns that the regions Armenian residents need both
political and economic considerations to feel at ease in Georgia.
“The majority of these people make their living at the expense of the
Russian military bases. If the bases leave this place they will have
neither jobs nor money,” Migranian said.