"THE GEORGIANS WANT TO TAKE HOLD OF JAVAKHQ"

A1+
[06:46 pm] 14 June, 2006

"Javakhq is an Armenian region with Armenian population in the
Georgian territory. Javakhq must contribute to the development of the
Armenian-Georgian relations and not spoil them", said Shirak Torosyan,
the head of the patriotic union "Javakhq" during the news conference
with the journalists. He was worried about the recent problems in
the region.

According to Mr. Torosyan, one of the problems of the Armenians
in Javakhq is the preservation of their mother tongue. There are a
hundred Armenian schools in Javakhq, but the Georgian authorities
demand that all the subjects be taught in Georgian. "If the mother
tongue is banned, the people start to feel an antipathy towards the
foreign language", he said.

As for the possibility of investments in Javakhq by Armenians of
the Diaspora, Shirak Torosyan said, "No one will make investments
in an area where there is no electricity, no roads and other
substructures. If the above mentioned problems are solved, not only
the Armenians, but also others will make investments in the region."