WILL JAVAKHETI REPEAT THE FATE OF KARABAKH?

Regnum, Russia
Nov 2 2006

Leader of the United Javakh Alliance Vahagn Chakhalian does not rule
out a possibility of an armed clash in the Armenian-populated area
in Georgia, Samtskhe-Javakheti, taking into consideration similarity
of the situation in the area with the one in Nagorno Karabakh in the
Soviet time. Chakhalian made the announcement at a news conference
in Yerevan on November 2. At the same time he noted that up to date
the question is not vital.

As for cooperation with the Georgian authorities concerning realization
of projects, as Chakhalian noted, "such cooperation is equal to
cooperation with Turks in the beginning of the last century." He
outlined priority issues for United Javakh: inadmissibility of
construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi, status of the Armenian
Apostolic Church in Georgia, teaching Armenian and history in schools,
foundation of the Georgian-Armenian University. Chakhalian denied
statements that the events in Javakh are related to the exacerbation
of the Russian0Georgian relations.

"It is rather weird that everything that happens in the area, Armenian
media connect with the crisis in the Russian-Georgian relations,"
Vahagn Chakhalian said.

In his turn, MP Hamayak Hovhannissyan also noted that not the discord
in the Georgian-Russian relations, but construction of the "monstrous"
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway caused the high interest of Armenia
in Javakh. According to him, despite the fact that European community
and the USA are negative in their assessments of the construction,
Turkey and Azerbaijan under Georgia’s consent have been implementing
the project; so, it is a question of months.

Besides, he expressed indignation at the intention to populate the
traditionally Armenian territory alongside the railway: 12 villages
with a population of 1,000 people. He also reminded that Armenia’s
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan speaking at a session of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation Organization leaders also raised the issue
of inadmissibility of constructing the railway and called for Georgia
to abandon the project.