PENITENTIAL FUSS ABOUT POET’S BIRTHPLACE
HAKOB BADALYAN

Lragir.am
13-09-2007 12:48:35

Member of Parliament Shirak Torosyan, member of the Republican
faction, deputy leader of the Hzor Hayrenik Party, chairman of
the Javakheti Union of Compatriots, voiced concern at the Armenian
parliament before the Armenian government on September 11 that the
"horrible" actions of the Georgian government in Javakheti should
be prevented. What has happened in Javakheti that is horrific in
Shirak Torosyan’s opinion? The Georgian government is building a
penitentiary near the village of Gandzak, the native village of the
great Armenian poet Vahan Teryan. It turns out that a fight involving
Javakheti Armenians near the grave of the poet can be born, whereas
no penitentiary can be built near the place of birth of the poet. "A
horrible program which will cause Armenians leave the region," the
Aravot Daily cited Shirak Torosyan. The newspaper also wrote that the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun and the Bargavach Hayastan Party shared Torosyan’s
concern, and think the Armenian government should hinder this program.

Vahan Hovanisyan, member of the ARF Bureau, even realized why the
Georgians are building this penitentiary. According to Hovanisyan,
they are building it now to later increase troops in the region for
its alleged protection. The Georgian government got caught. It is
impossible to cheat us. It turns out that Georgia’s only option of
the presence of troops in Javakheti is building a penitentiary. But it
is not clear how it will cause the Armenians to leave the region. Let
us assume this penitentiary is built. Why should the Armenians leave
their homes? Are the inmates going to be at large in Javakheti? If yes,
they will have to leave. If not, the impression is that the Javakheti
Armenians need an opportunity to leave their native region.

If they are forced by poverty to leave Javakheti, it can be understood,
if they leave to have their children educated, it also can be
understood, maybe it is not acceptable to leave to get an education
and fail to return, but it can be understood because an educated
person can get no employment in Javakheti, therefore they do not go
back. But when the Armenians are going to leave because a penitentiary
is going to be built in Javakheti, it is already unacceptable.

What is more, the penitentiary will be built near the birthplace and
not in the birthplace of Teryan. When a few years ago a penitentiary
was going to be built in the center of Vanadzor, nobody voiced concern,
not even the people who are worried for Javakheti. Why can they
build a penitentiary in Vanadzor but cannot build a penitentiary in
Javakheti? Because the inmates are Armenians or because the builders
are Armenians? It is also amazing that the people who voice concern
about the Armenians of Javakheti tolerate Russia’s presence in this
territory, and they might agree to have a Russian penitentiary there,
meanwhile they draw a sword and Armenia when they deal with Georgia,
urging Armenia to stop one thing or another in Javakheti. How is
Armenia supposed to stop it besides coercion that Javakheti will
launch a movement for self-determination in case Georgia builds a
penitentiary? Is there another way of preventing, and what reply
should be given to Georgia if it answers that it is their territory
and they want to build the penitentiary in that particular place,
especially that there is nothing illegal about it. What is Armenia
going to answer? If the Javakheti Armenians who settled in Armenia,
Dashnaktsutyun and Bargavach Hayastan urge the Armenian government
to interfere, why don’t they at once urge to make a decision on
the unification of Javakheti with Armenia? Is there any other way
of interference?

Diplomacy, the worried people may say. Certainly. But diplomacy is
strong if it pursues sensible aims, aims which are understandable not
only to it but also the others; otherwise it is likely to crush into
the wall. If the Armenian government is worried about the problem of
social infrastructures in Javakheti, it is clear to both Georgia and
the international community. But when the Armenian government requests
Georgia not to build a penitentiary, it is not clear to neither Georgia
nor the world because it is necessary to explain why we do not want it
to be built. It is not enough to say it is meant to cause the Armenian
population leave. It is necessary to explain why the Armenians leave
for that reason. Perhaps instead of the impossible diplomacy it is
better to deal with the possible politics and try to benefit from that
situation. For instance, it would be sensible if the Armenia-based
people who worry about Javakheti urged to employ local Armenians
in the penitentiary. If possible, of course. It would be sensible
and logical. But if some of our political parties perceive the real
intention of the Georgian government so quickly, who can understand
as quickly the real intention of some of our political forces?