YEREVAN WORRIED ABOUT FUTURE OF JAVAKHETI ARMENIANS
by Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 30, 2006 Tuesday 01:29 PM EST

The position of ethnic Armenians may exacerbate following the
Russian military base pullout from Akhalkalaki in the south Georgian
district of Javakheti, New Times opposition centrist party leader
Aram Karapetian told a Tuesday rally in Yerevan.

“There have been numerous examples in the history, when Armenians were
persecuted following a pullout of Russians. The same will happen in
Javakheti, where violent clashes have already occurred,” he said.

“The situation in Georgia will be slowly exacerbating.”

The rally adopted a petition to the Armenian government, which says,
“social and economic problems of Armenians who live in Javakheti,
an area in southern Georgia, will worsen against the background of
the pullout of Russian military units.”

The party leader thinks it expedient “to discuss the security
of Javakheti Armenians before signing a border demarcation and
delimitation treaty with Georgia.”