PRESS-RELEASE
"YERKIR"
UNION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR REPATRIATION AND SETTLEMENT
Contact: Robert Tatoyan,
Tel. +(374 10) 46 50 21; +(374 94) 36 17 93
E-mail: contact@yerkir.org
Web:

January 22, 2009
Yerevan, Armenia

"YERKIR" UNION’s STATEMENT REGARDING AN ARTICLE IN "AZERBAIJAN" OFFICIAL
PERIODICAL OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN

At the end of December an article entitled "The Javakheti Armenians Raise
New Claims to the Official Tbilisi" was published in the "Azerbaijan"
Official Periodical of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan
(See: p;year08&Pid=31017).
A significant part of the article is dedicated to the activities of "Yerkir"
Union directed towards the protection of the Armenian Minority Rights in
Georgia.

However, the activities of "Yerkir" Union are presented in the article in a
grossly distorted way. Inter alia, according to the newspaper, the aim of
"Yerkir" Union is "achieving the independence of Javakheti by implementing
separatist politics".

"Yerkir" Union wouldn’t have been obliged to draw attention of the public to
a commonplace example of Azerbaijani disinformation propaganda machine, if
this article hadn’t been published in one of the official periodicals of
Azerbaijan, and, therefore, written by request of the Azerbaijani
authorities.

Thus, the main objective pursued by the mentioned publication is to cause Á
misunderstanding concerning the processes that are taking place in and
around Javakheti and the activity of "Yerkir" Union there. The author of the
publication by breaking all the norms of the journalist ethics simply
misrepresents the views expressed by Chairman of "Yerkir" Union Sevak
Artsrouni in his interview to the "Azg" daily on December 5, 2008 (See:
).

Nonethele ss, the objectives pursued by "Yerkir" Union in Georgia are clear
and precise:

1. To support the legislative-normative standards, providing for the use
of the Armenian language at the level of local government and administration
in the areas with the compact settlement of persons belonging to the
Armenian minority,

2. To seek a solution to the socio-economic, linguistic,
educational-cultural and religious problems of the Armenian Minority of
Georgia (non-registering of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia,
insufficient representation of the Armenians in local and central governance
bodies, the impossibility to get higher education on the basis of mother
language etc).

(See detailed at: ;level _id=10 )

The activity of "Yerkir" Union in addressing the problems of Javakheti and
Georgian Armenians is mainly based on the obligations undertaken by the
Georgian government with respect to protection of ethnic minorities of the
country. It should be mentioned that the necessity to give a proper
protection to the ethic minorities of the country has been emphasized in the
recommendations of various international structures and human rights
organizations, among others – the recommendations of the UN Human Rights
Committee.

Therefore, "Yerkir" Union carries out committed work directed to
representation and protection of Javakheti and Georgian Armenians and
promotion of the human rights protection standards set forth by the relevant
international structures (UN, OSCE, the European Union, the Council of
Europe etc).