ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN PMS VISIT JAVAKHK

Azg/arm
26 July 05

Armenians of Georgia Demand to Reject the Project of Akhalkalak-Kars
Railway

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli met his Armenian counterpart
Andranik Margarian at the Armenian-Georgian border, and they headed
for Satkha village of Ninotsminda region after a short talk. The prime
ministers of neighboring countries stated in their appearance before
the villagers that the governments aim at improving the life in Satkha
as well as in other villages of the region. The next destination of
Nogaideli and Margarian was Gandza — the birthplace of great Armenian
poet Vahan Terian.

The prime ministers lit candles at Surp Karapet Armenian church built
in 1852 by Terian’s grandfather Ter Ghazar. They visited the
house-museum of the poet and took part in the celebration of the
poet’s 120th anniversary. “The wish of both governments is to create
conditions for a good life of Javakhk Armenians on their land”, said
Andranik Margarian in his speech. The Armenian PM said that the
Georgian government has projects of socio-economic development of the
region, of road and school construction and creation of
infrastructures. Margarian expressed wish that centuries-long
friendship of the two peoples will stand firm despite
instigations. “Don’t think that everybody is our friend. We should
build our future together with the Georgian people. We should
strengthen our state with our hands” Armenian PM said.

In Akhalkalak, the crowd met Armenian and Georgian PMs with banners
reading “No to Javakhk-Kars Railway”. Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakhk
region presented their demands to the PMs: 1. To stop discriminatory
policy against Armenians of the region. 2. To grant Armenian language
status of regional in Samtskhe-Javakhk and Tsalke. 3. To preserve the
tradition of teaching in Armenian at the Armenian schools of Georgia,
including Armenian history as a compulsory subject in the
curriculum. 4. To stop the policy of appropriation and elimination of
Armenian cultural monuments. 5. To build a road network in a short
period that would connect Javakhk with Tbilisi and Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister was optimistic over the Georgian project of
allocating $120 million for road construction beginning in 2007. The
US will assign $100 of this sum. The estimated deadline for the
functioning of Akhalkalak-Akhaltskha, Akhaltskha-Tsalka-Tbilisi,
Akhalkalak-Karzakh (Georgian-Turkish border) and Ninotsminda-Bavra
roads is 2009.

“Construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi railway is the inner issue of
Georgia”, Andranik Margarian told journalists adding that Georgia is
ready to support in reopening Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway.

By Tatoul Hakobian in Javakhk