ICG CONCERNED ABOUT THE FATE OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI MINORITIES IN GEORGIA
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 22 2006
"The Georgian government must take significant steps to avoid conflict
in the country’s ethnic Armenian and Azeri areas," says the last
report of the International Crisis Group titled "Georgia’s Armenian
and Azeri Minorities. The report examines the grievances of these two
communities. While there is no risk of the situation becoming Ossetian
or Abkhaz-like threats to Georgia’s territorial integrity, tensions
are evident in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo-Kartli,
where the two predominantly live. There have been demonstrations,
alleged police brutality and killings during the past two years.
Georgia has made little progress towards integrating these minorities,
who constitute over 12 per cent of the population.
Armenians and Azeris are underrepresented in all spheres of public
life, especially government, and a lack of dialogue between them and
Tbilisi adds to perceptions of discrimination and alienation. This
is aggravated by economic problems, including high unemployment l
and decaying infrastructure.
"Tbilisi needs to do much more to build confidence and to encourage
minorities to address their problems through state structures rather
then in the street", says Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s Caucasus
Project Director.
While the government denies there is any inequality, many minorities
claim they are treated as second-class citizens. Feeling betrayed by
the Abkhaz and Ossetians, who declared independent states on Georgian
territory, Tbilisi has a deeply rooted, if unfounded, fear that others
may do the same. More sensitive and effective minority policies would
dampen such demands and might even help build trust with the Abkhaz
and Ossetians.
Some steps have been taken to improve the lives of minorities. With
donor support, Georgia has invested in road and infrastructure
rehabilitation in minority regions and created a ministry for civic
integration, established a public administration institute to train
minorities and ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection
of National Minorities.
None of this is likely to appease minorities’ political grievances
without policies that increase inclusion and participation.
Implementation of local government reform after the 2006 elections
provides a new platform for minorities to affect decision-making
through municipal bodies. More consultation by Tbilisi when drafting
legislation can also help.
The government needs to establish a comprehensive education system
to teach Georgian as a second language to minorities, but while a
new generation is educated, minorities should not be discriminated
against, especially in hiring for state jobs. The state should also
implement its international commitments, particularly allowing use
of minority languages for state affairs in municipalities with large
numbers of minority citizens, as is standard throughout Europe.
"Only by acting on both tracks will Georgia succeed in reducing
tensions and increasing minority integration", says Nicholas Whyte,
Crisis Group’s Europe Program Director.