ARMENIANS ARE NOT DISCRIMINATED IN ABKHAZIA

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 14 2006

The information that Armenians are discriminated in Abkhazia is not
true, said Galust Trapizonyan, member of the Abkhazian parliament
December 14 at the Friday Club. He says this information is released
by the Georgian mass media to destabilize the situation in Abkhazia.

The member of the Abkhazian parliament says there were gangs during
the war who tried to harm the Armenians. The member of parliament
explains this by the nature of the war which produces inevitable
consequences. It was mainly in the areas near the Georgian border,
the member of parliament says. Afterwards the Armenian battalion
gained control of the areas populated by Armenians, and the problems
were settled, and now the government controls everything, Galust
Trapizonyan says.

According to him, there are casual disagreements and clashes, but
it would be wrong to state that there is discrimination against the
Armenians, says the Armenian member of parliament.

He also says that the Armenians of Abkhazia are for reaching the
international recognition of this state. Like Karabakh, Abkhazia is
also fighting for its right, says Galust Trapizonyan, who congratulated
the people of Karabakh on the adoption of the Constitution, describing
this as a significant step leading to independence. The represetnative
of the Armenian community of Abkhazia says Abkhazia wants to be
independent rather than become part of Russia. Of course, he says,
the government of Abkhazia has applied for associate membership to
Russia. Galust Trapizonyan says it is not the same as becoming part
of Russia, but it was an almost necessary step, considering that the
population of Abkhazia are citizens of Russia. He says economically
the relation with Russia is important because 1 million tourists from
Russia have visited Abkhazia this year.