ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN: BLOW OF KARS-AKHAlKALAK RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION IS AIMED AGAINST JAVAKHK’S HEART

Noyan Tapan
Apr 02 2007

AKHALKALAK, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The Javakhk-Info agency on April 2
spread the text of the open letter bearing the signature of Zhirayr
Sefilian and addressed to the Armenians of Javakhk. The full text
of the letter is given below: "The governments of Turkey, Azerbaijan
and Georgia plan to start the construction of Kars-Akhalkalak railway
this year. Armenians are against this project not because of the fact
that the railway communication by-passes the territory of Armenia but
because this is a very dangerous link of the Pan-Turanist programs
to blockade Armenia from the north. The blow of this anti-Armenian
project is aimed againt Javakhk’s heart. The purpose is to cleanse
it from Armenians and populate with strange elements which must
penetrate into the region as builders and workers servicing
the railway. Unfortunately, the Armenian government failed to
understand the essence of the problem. It speaks against the new
railway’s construction, but only for the reason that the Gyumri-Kars
railway will be put into operation instead of it and the Armenian
budget will receive a few cents’ profit from the Pan-Turkist
communication. Whereas, the problem is first of all political and
poses the threat that our region will be turkified completely in
economic, cultural, political and demographic sense. The revival of the
national movement in Javakhk in recent years inspires a hope that this
Turkish-Georgian project can be suspended with relative ease. Yet in
this case too, the Armenian ruling regime betraying national interests,
not only did not assist Armenians of Javakhk but also tried to impede
its struggle, disappoint it and deprive it of its support, arrested and
deported Vahagn Chakhalian who struggled against this anti-Armenian
project. Local officials serving the Georgian state behave in the
same way. However, I am convinced that our compatriots living in
Javakhk are fully aware of the threat facing not only this region but
also all the Armenians and will be able to hinder this anti-Armenian
project. I an sure that at the decisive moment they will have support
of Armenians of Homeland and Diaspora. Nobody and nothing can break
the freedom-loving will of the Armenian people. Let’s not despair
and defend our country from the growing threat of Turkish blockade."