ICG CALLS ON GEORGIA TO DO MORE FOR ITS NATIONAL MINORITIES

Armenpress
Nov 22 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: The Georgian government must take
significant steps to avoid conflict in the country’s ethnic Armenian
and Azeri areas, says the latest report from the International Crisis
Group, that examines the grievances of these two communities.

Titled ‘Georgia’s Armenian and Azeri Minorities’ the report says while
there is no risk of the situation becoming Ossetian- or Abkhaz-like
threats to Georgia’s territorial integrity, tensions are evident in
the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo-Kartli, where the two
predominantly live. There have been demonstrations, alleged police
brutality and killings during the past two years.

Georgia has made little progress towards integrating these minorities,
who constitute over 12 per cent of the population. Armenians and
Azeris are underrepresented in all spheres of public life, especially
government, and a lack of dialogue between them and Tbilisi adds to
perceptions of discrimination and alienation. This is aggravated
by economic problems, including high unemployment and decaying
infrastructure.

"Tbilisi needs to do much more to build confidence and to encourage
minorities to address their problems through state structures
rather then in the street", says Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s
Caucasus Project Director. While the government denies there is any
inequality, many minorities claim they are treated as second-class
citizens. Feeling betrayed by the Abkhaz and Ossetians, who declared
independent states on Georgian territory, Tbilisi has a deeply rooted,
if unfounded, fear that others may do the same. More sensitive and
effective minority policies would dampen such demands and might even
help build trust with the Abkhaz and Ossetians.

Some steps have been taken to improve the lives of minorities. With
donor support, Georgia has invested in road and infrastructure
rehabilitation in minority regions and created a ministry for civic
integration, established a public administration institute to train
minorities and ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection
of National Minorities.

None of this is likely to appease minorities’ political
grievances without policies that increase inclusion and
participation. Implementation of local government reform after the 2006
elections provides a new platform for minorities to affect decision
making through municipal bodies. More consultation by Tbilisi when
drafting legislation can also help.

The government needs to establish a comprehensive education system
to teach Georgian as a second language to minorities, but while a
new generation is educated, minorities should not be discriminated
against, especially in hiring for state jobs. The state should also
implement its international commitments, particularly allowing use
of minority languages for state affairs in municipalities with large
numbers of minority citizens, as is standard throughout Europe.

"Only by acting on both tracks will Georgia succeed in reducing
tensions and increasing minority integration", says Nicholas Whyte,
Crisis Group’s Europe Program Director.