LOCAL POPULATION CONCERNED OVER VISIT OF GEORGIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY
EMPLOYEES TO JAVAKHK

AKHALKALAK, AUGUST 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The employees of
the Foodstuffs Accumulation Department of the Ministry of Defence of
Georgia paid a visit to Akhalkalak on August 10-12. The purpose of the
visit was to reach preliminary agreements about purchasing foodstuffs
for the Georgian army from Javakhk. However, according to the agency
A-Info, the tour of the 20 employees of Georgia’s Defence Ministry in
4 cars about Akhalkalak caused concern among the local citizens. The
problem is that despite a proposal to set up an office on registration
of foogstuffs orders from the army employees (in the building of the
Akhalkalak regional administration), no practical meeting on this
issue was held. The report about the withdrawal of the equipment
from the Russian military bases, which was broadcast by the Georgian
television “Imedi”on August 10, also had a negative impact on the
population’s psychology. This report was immediately followed by the
announcement of the abovementioned visit of the Georgian servicemen
to Javakhk, which was interpreted by the Armenians of Javakhk as a
prelude to the process of replacing the Russian military bases with
the Georgian ones. Whereas, according to the local residents, the
presence of the Georgian army in Javakhk not only does not guarantee
their physical security but also may cause unnecessary problems. To
recap, the Georgian Defence Minister will soon pay a visit to Javakhk.