EU CLOSES EYES TO TBILISI’S DISCRIMINATORY POLICY TOWARDS ETHNIC MINORITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.11.2009 18:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a letter addressed to EU Special Representative
for South Caucasus Peter Semneby, Yerkir Union of Non-governmental
Organizations raised the problem of Georgian authorities’
discriminatory policy towards ethnic minorities.

"The Armenians of Georgia, particularly those residing in the country’s
south-western regions, suffer from violation of their political,
civil, cultural-educational and religious rights, notwithstanding
Georgia’s international commitments to protect ethnic minorities,"
the Union says.

The authors of the letter have particularly observed serious omissions
in terms of implementing the European Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities.

"Ignoring international community’s recommendations, Georgian
authorities continue the discriminatory policy against Armenians of
Javakhk. Furthermore, such policy has recently escalated to repressions
against Javakhk activists," says the letter.

The union calls upon Peter Semniby to hold a firmer and more effective
stance on the issues, trying to explain to Georgian authorities that
force and police repressions against Georgian-Armenians will lead to
stalemate. "Only firm position on such problems will help Georgian
authorities to create an effective democratic system guaranteeing real
stability both for Georgia and the entire South Caucasian region,"
union activists state.