ARMENIANS OF JAVAKHETI ARE READY FOR EVERYTHING

Lragir.am
16:06:59 – 18/11/2008

The leader of the Javakheti Union of Compatriots, Republican Member of
Parliament Shirak Torosyan again brought up the issue of Javakheti and
the Armenians of Georgia on November 18 at the Pastark press club. For
instance, the member of parliament said in the Georgian textbooks of
history used in the schools of Javakheti Lake Sevan is said to be
part of Georgia. Shirak Torosyan says one should imagine the state
of an Armenian teenager in Javakheti who reads this in a textbook.

The reporters asked Shirak Torosyan whether he has tried to inquire
from the government if Serge Sargsyan who visited Georgia several
weeks before brought up those issues and what answer he got. Shirak
Torosyan says the government is not active, and the impression
is that the problems of Javakheti and the Armenians of Georgian
are not brought up. However, Torosyan also noted that during his
Georgian visit President Sargsyan raised two important issues and
reached oral agreements. Those are the construction of the highway
Batumi-Yerevan which will run across Javakheti and will foster the
economic development of the region, the member of parliament says, as
well as the simplified procedure of crossing the border. The member
of parliament said in this connection that strangely the customs
office of Armenia causes problems. The point is that the citizens
of Georgia have an international passport to travel abroad. Torosyan
says the Armenians of Javakheti do not have such passports, and when
they come to Armenia, the border guards of Georgia do not require a
passport from them to cross the border, whereas rumors come that the
customs office of Armenia will demand international passports from
the Javakheti Armenians from January.

The leader of Javakheti Union of Compatriots also says he is not
so optimistic about the construction of the highway. He says when
the presidents reached an oral agreement and stated about it, a
discourse started in Georgia, and the opinion prevailed that the
highway is against the interests of Georgia since the Russian troops
could be deployed in Georgia by this road, as well as it may cause
separatist moods to escalate by fostering economic development in
Javakheti. Torosyan says it is pointless to speak about the Russian
threat. As to separatism, he noted that there are no such moods
in Javakheti, and even if there is a small group, it is due to the
discrimination of the Georgian government. Meanwhile, if the quality
of life improves, the danger of separatism will gradually diminish.

However, the member of parliament is not optimistic about the
construction of the highway since the public opinion in Georgia seems
to be against it.

As to the discrimination of the Georgian government towards Javakheti,
Shirak Torosyan stated that the Armenians of Javakheti will not leave
their homeland. He said if the Armenians of Javakheti feel that
their existence is threatened, they will take any step to defend
themselves. Pointing to passiveness of the stance of the Armenian
government, Shirak Torosyan nevertheless appreciated that in early
November Serge Sargsyan visiting Georgia met with the Armenian
community in Georgia and said they have problems and they must be
solved. Shirak Torosyan commends the statement of the president of
Armenia but adds that he also needs to be consistent.