ETHNIC MINORITIES AND NATO

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Thursday, July 3
Georgia

Georgia’s critical bid for membership in NATO has broad, if not
unquestioning, support here. But ethnic minorities, particularly the
sizable Armenian and Azeri communities, are in danger of being left
on the wayside.

Ethnic minorities in Georgia are unlikely to be well-informed on
NATO, and less likely than other citizens to support membership in
the alliance.

This is in large part another symptom of the weak integration of
Georgia’s ethnic minorities. Most are poor, many do not speak Georgian;
predictably, they are at best on the margins of civic society and
practically unrepresented in high office.

In one ethnic Armenian district, Akhalkalaki, the closure of a Russian
military base there plunged its residents into even deeper penury. Many
work in Russia and send money home. Now, among other concerns, they
fear Georgian membership in NATO could take away that option.

In a referendum accompanying the January presidential poll, 63 percent
of Akhalkalaki voters supported the bid for NATO membership, far below
the national average of 77 percent. And they’re hardly a renitent
bunch: 87 percent picked incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili for president,
compared to barely half of voters nationwide.

Their worries are clear. The government is not oblivious; its efforts
to shore up support for NATO across the whole country should continue
with strong backing. Georgia needs NATO, and the integration campaign
will not be helped if the country’s impoverished ethnic minorities
are unhappy about membership.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress