JAVAKHK ISSUE AND NATIONAL INTEREST
By Sevak Artsruni

AZG DAILY
24-03-2009

Javakhk

Javakhk and its adjacent Armenian-populated regions were parts of
historical Armenia. In general, the national-cultural heritage of the
Georgian Armenians became a foundation-stone for re-establishment of
the Armenian statehood in the 20th century.

Nevertheless, today the Armenian nation is facing a demographic crisis
in Georgia. It is indisputable that the crisis is not the problem of
the Armenians of Javakhk and Georgia, but the entire Armenian nation.

For Armenia, Georgia and the world, Javakhk issue didn’t exist
before 2007. The situation has changed since 2007, especially
July 2008, after the arrests of the Armenian political activists
in Javakhk. Authoritative international organizations and offices
started to publish reports on Javakhk issue and rights of the ethnic
minorities in Georgia, and the most important thing – recommendations
were sent to the Georgian authorities for solution of the issues that
the Armenians of Javakhk and Georgia faced. Everybody realized that
the situation was alarming and that the Armenians of Javakhk lived
under conditions when their elementary rights were grossly violated.

Preservation of national and religious essence – is the elementary
right of a human being. Protection of national interest demands
involvement of every individual and organization – the constituents
of the Nation – in the above-mentioned issue.

While the Armenian figures in Javakhk protect the all-Armenian issue at
the cost of their lives and freedom, the Armenians of motherland and
Diaspora should only protect the rights of Armenians of Georgia and
Javakhk by reminding the Georgian authorities that according to the
UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ Preamble "it is essential,
if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort,
to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should
be protected by the rule of law".

In order to avert undesirable developments round Javakhk issue,
Armenians of the world should unite round imperative necessity to
establish rule of law in Javakhk and whole Georgia and abolish the
crisis in the sphere of Georgian Armenians’ rights.