ARMENIANS AND AZERIS ARE NOT PROPERLY REPRESENTED IN PUBLIC LIFE OF GEORGIA, IS SAID IN ICG REPORT
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 29 2006
BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Georgian
government must take significant steps to avoid conflict in the
country’s ethnic Armenian and Azeri areas. Georgia’s Armenian and
Azeri Minorities, the latest report from the International Crisis
Group, examines the grievances of these two communities.
In words of the report authors, 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.
According the ICG report, 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.
"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 othersmay do the same," is said in the report.
According to the ICG, 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.
According to the report, 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.