GEORGIAN DAILY ON "STEADILY GROWING" NUMBER OF ARMENIANS IN ABKHAZIA

Rezonansi
18 Aug 07
Tbilisi

There has been a stable growth in the number of ethnic Armenians in
Abkhazia since the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war, Georgian newspaper
Rezonansi says.

According to Rezonansi, the strengthening Armenian diaspora has
expressed its wish to be involved in Abkhazia’s political life. The
report says that ethnic Armenians own 80 per cent of small and medium
business in Abkhazia.

Conflictologist Giorgi Khutsishvili says that Armenians are "in
control" of Gagra District. Mamuka Areshidze, expert in Caucasus
affairs, says that the Abkhaz often "oppress" Armenians as they are
"angered" by their business activities. MP Van Baiburt says that
there are "very few" Armenians in Abkhazia. The following is the
text of report by Elza Tsiklauri in Georgian newspaper Rezonansi on
18 August headlined "Armenians control 80 per cent of businesses in
Gagra". Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The number of ethnic Armenians in Abkhazia has been steadily growing
since the Georgian-Abkhaz armed conflict [in 1992-1993]. Naturally,
this causes their automatic involvement in the political as well as
business and economic life. Although there are not too many ethnic
Armenians in the de facto government agencies – they have only three
representatives in the 35-seat "People’s Assembly" – the Armenians’
share of businesses has been increasing every year. Such activeness
has been especially noticeable in Gagra, one of Abkhazia’s profitable
districts, but the Armenians have businesses throughout the de facto
republic’s territory. For example, ethnic Armenians own 80 per cent
of all small and medium-sized businesses in Abkhazia.

Growing diaspora

According to unofficial information, there between 65,000 and 68,000
Abkhaz and approximately as many Georgians living in Abkhazia today. As
for Armenians, their number ranges between 70,000 and 80,000. There
are various factors for the growth of the Armenian diaspora in
Abkhazia. For example, after the Georgian-Abkhaz armed conflict,
an intensive settlement of Armenian population started on Abkhaz
territory, especially in northern Abkhazia. After the town of Gagra
and Gagra District, Armenians appeared in Akhali Atoni and adjacent
territories. Later on, Armenians started settling in Gudauta District
as well.

It is also noteworthy that the Armenian diaspora in Abkhazia increased
in numbers after the serious persecution of ethnic minorities started
in [Russia’s] Krasnodar [Territory]. Since the Armenians who were
oppressed in Krasnodar have nowhere else to go, they mainly go to
Abkhazia. According to unofficial information, if there is a national
group that is growing in Abkhazia today, it is the Armenian one. The
number of ethnic Armenian population increases by 5,000-6,000 people
every year.

A more important circumstance is that Abkhazia’s Armenians have been
gaining a lot of strength of late, expressing a wish to be actively
involved in the de facto republic’s political life. This is precisely
why a new party, the Russian Citizens’ Union, was created in Sukhumi
before the separatist parliamentary election. As a result, the party
activists or simply the supporters of this party’s ideology achieved,
let us say, serious success in this election. Three ethnic Armenians,
Valeriy Mayromyan, Sergey Matosyan and Albert Ovsepyan, got into the
"People’s Assembly".

It is also noteworthy that, as soon as the incumbent "People’s
Assembly" started working, "President" [Sergey] Bagapsh allowed
the creation of an additional deputy chairman’s post especially
for Ovsepyan.

Even though such a large-scale growth of the Armenian diaspora is not
really acceptable to the Abkhaz public and neither are the Abkhaz
especially pleased with the flourishing of Armenian businesses,
there are certain reasons why the de facto government prefers to keep
silent. One of the factors why the Abkhaz public prefers to keep
silence is the activities of the so-called Bagramyan’s battalion
during the Georgian-Abkhaz armed conflict. It is well known that
ethnic Armenians still remind Sukhumi of this battalion’s actions.

"Balanced" Abkhaz-Armenian relations

Georgian experts too are unanimous in saying that ethnic Armenians
are gradually gaining strength in Abkhazia.

"Armenians are virtually in control of Gagra District today. They
own almost 90 per cent of the businesses there. They are involved in
construction, tourism and trade activities. Apparently, the Armenians
have already taken control of one concrete district which, one can say,
is quite lucrative. The Abkhaz do care about the lack of demographic
balance prevailing in Gagra District but they are not talking about
it openly. It has to be said that relations between ethnic Armenians
and the Abkhaz are quite balanced today.

However, people in Abkhazia also fear that they will become a minority
in their own land, returning to the state of affairs of 1991-1992.

"Nevertheless, no-one in Abkhazia can oppose the Armenian
activeness. They [Armenians] always remind the Abkhaz of their role
during the Georgian-Abkhaz combat operations. They always talk about
the achievements of Bagramyan’s battalion. Armenians are very good at
taking advantage of this," Giorgi Khutsishvili, conflictologist [and
head of the International Centre of Conflict and Negotiation NGO],
said in an interview with Rezonansi.

Mamuka Areshidze, who is an expert in Caucasus affairs, confirmed
that Armenian businesses in Abkhazia are growing year after year:
"It cannot be ruled out that 80 per cent of the Abkhaz economy is
precisely under control of ethnic Armenian business structures. Company
directors may often be Abkhaz but the capital would be entirely
Armenian. I am not talking about business with international flair,
for example, Moscow chocolate factory, these are businesses of a
completely different level.

"As for oppressing them, such danger is always present. Today Armenians
in Abkhazia are in the same situation as the rich Jewish financial
groups who were not really protected in medieval France, Italy and
Spain. The Abkhaz are angered by the Armenian business activities,
which is why they often oppress them but there are more of them than
Abkhaz and they are better organized. Incidentally, this is why
Bagapsh is compelled to consider their interests and stop talking
about settlement of Muhajirs [Abkhazians exiled from the Russian
Empire to Muslim countries in the late 19th century]," Areshidze said.

Areshidze also talked about the influence of Bagramyan’s battalion,
saying that Armenians still remind Abkhaz of this battalion’s
activities during the war: "Armenians tell the Abkhaz that, if it
was not for that battalion, they would not have been where they are
today. They keep reminding Abkhaz of this, telling them that they
should be grateful.

"It also has to be noted here that Bagramyan’s battalion was
formed because of our ignorance and stupidity. However, they would
not have been able to do anything solely with this battalion’s
actions. Armenians have money and if you have money, you can manipulate
society," Areshidze added.

Unlike Georgian experts, Georgian MP [of Armenian origin] Van Baiburt
called the talk about the strengthening of the Armenian diaspora in
Abkhazia absurd. He said that ethnic Armenians do not account for
more than 40 per cent of the Gagra population.

"Armenians do not have significant businesses in Abkhazia. They
do not own petrol stations or other large companies. They are only
trading. In addition, very few Armenians remained there after the
war. An Armenian language school in Gagra can serve as an example:
before the war, there were over 1,500 children studying there. Today
this number hardly amounts to 300.

I often meet relatives of people who live there in Yerevan and I
know that their situation there is not as good as to boast about,"
Van Baiburt told Rezonansi.