AZERBAIJAN PROPOSES INVESTMENTS IN GEORGIAN REGION
News.am
11:36 / 08/20/2009
The Geyrat (Honor) movement has held a press conference at the
Baku media center today to address ethnic Azerbaijanis social,
economic and cultural problems in Georgia. Specifically, movement
members addressed issues of education, land tenure, employment, etc.,
reports kavkaz-uzel.ru.
"The high-level bilateral relations do not have any impact on the
socio-cultural life of the Azerbaijani population in Georgia," said
the movement member Zumrud Gurbanov. He pointed out that the land
reform has been completed in Georgia, but the Azerbaijani population’s
interests have been disregarded. The Geyrat movement sees a way out
of the situation in Azerbaijan’s investments in the Georgian regions
densely populated by Azerbaijanis.
The Geyrat leader Alibala Askerov accused the Caucasian Muslim Board
of being indifferent to the Azeri population’s problems, particularly
to their religious rights.
He sees a solution to the problem in "joint projects at a government
level." Among the most serious problems are, according to Azkerov,
unemployment and Azerbaijani-language education, which is not so easily
available now as before. "As result, 60,000 young Azerbaijanis left
Georgia," Askerov said.
Another serious problem is also Azerbaijanis not being involved in
the state government system.
Askerov believes the State Committee for Diaspora and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan are not taking any practical steps
to ensure the Azerbaijanis’ rights in Georgia.
Azerbaijanis densely populate a number of eastern Georgian regions
bordering on Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Azerbaijani population of
Georgia reached 300,000 to 400,000 thousands by the time the USSR
collapsed.
Activities intended to protect Azerbaijanis’ rights in Georgia have
often been organized in Azerbaijan over the recent period.
The source reports that the roundtable Place and Historical Role
of Borchaly (Azerbaijani name of a Georgian region with a dense
Azerbaijani population), which was held at the Baku media center on
June 24, discussed ethnic Azerbaijanis’ problems in Georgia.
Nasib Sasibli, an Azerbaijani Parliament member of the Musavat party,
pointed out the need for amending the Azerbaijani Law on Migration,
which would grant privileges to the Azerbaijani immigrants from
Georgia. "In this matter, Azerbaijanis from Georgia must not be equaled
to immigrants from other countries," he said. O the other hand, Fazil
Gazanfaroghly, the Chairman of the Great Creation Party believes
the law must be made even more stringent. "Otherwise, immigrants
will flow to Azerbaijan from Georgia, which is inadmissible," the
parliamentarian said.
Esteri Astemirova of the Georgian Embassy in Azerbaijan objected to
the term "Borchaly" used in reference to the Kvemo-Kartli region of
Georgia, which ranks the region as part of the Turkic territories. She
also voiced her discontent with the fact that Georgians are called
Ingiloits in Azerbaijan, "though such a nation does not exist."
Astemirova pointed out that Azerbaijanis’ education problems are in
the focus of attention of the Azerbaijani and Georgian Ministries of
Education. According to her, the Azerbaijani press often publishes
"provocative articles", which suggests "scheming of a third party",
namely, "Russia."
Interestingly, Ingiloits are Muslim Georgians residing in the
northern-western regions of Azerbaijan, Gakhk and Zagatal. They
adopted Islam during Persian invasions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
