What stands in the way of realizing the inferiority complex: Georgia is
a balancing element to us
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
25 Feb 09
Discussions on the current stage of Armenian-Georgian relations and
future developments coincide with visits by the neighbouring country’s
foreign minister and speaker to Armenia. These consecutive "landings"
have raised lots of interest not only in Armenia or Georgia but also in
Azerbaijan and other countries. It is apparent that "the time of truth"
in Armenian-Georgian relations is coming when the sides should speak
about those realities that they had been masking by speeches about
friendship.
[Passage omitted: Armenian and Georgian peoples have been friendly
throughout the history.]
However, both in the past and today, there is a "package" of unsolved
problems – accumulated for centuries – between the two countries and
peoples that reveals the entire complex of the Armenian-Georgian
controversies from time to time. If going deep into the issue, we will
see that territorial disputes have always played insignificant role in
it, and do not exist today at all.
The inferiority complex for the cultural and civilization potential of
the Georgian people – and now the state – towards Armenia and the
Armenian people who have always been superior in this regard has always
been the core issue in the Armenian-Georgian controversy.
This phenomenon goes deep into the medieval ages and goes all the way
to our times when Armenian cultural monuments are destroyed in a
"friendly" manner and Armenian graves are levelled with bulldozers.
[Passage omitted: Throughout history, Armenians were culturally active
in Georgia, founded their church, gave them alphabet and other things.]
The Georgians never overcame this inferiority complex of a "little
brother" even during the times when Georgia became powerful in the 10th
-12th centuries.
[Passage omitted: To overcome their inferiority complex, Georgians have
forcefully assimilated Armenians.]
In the past two centuries, the anti-Armenianism has become a political
factor for maintaining Georgians’ dominance in their country on the one
hand and saving the Georgian gene pool on the other.
[Passage omitted: Armenia and Georgia currently depend on each other to
maintain balance in the region.]
Georgia is the independent Armenia’s window to the west; Armenia is the
only country in the South Caucasus interested in further existence of
Georgia that has already been fractured. The two neighbouring peoples –
Armenians and Georgians – are on the same boat, so the short-sighted
Tbilisi officials’ actions are directed against the fundamental
interests of the Georgian people.