Information from Javakhk Reaches Armenia Somehow Distorted

PanARMENIAN.Net - The information that reaches Armenia from Javakhk is in a way distorted. The reason is clear, the information comes either from Georgia or from relatives living in Akhalkalaki, Director of the Caucasus Media Institute (CMI), political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net In his words, the situation there is really complicated and tensed. "The problem can be divided into several parts. The first is the socio-economic tension. The region is the poorest in Georgia. It was such in the soviet period as well but at that time it received grants. Georgia is not a state that can subsidy retarded regions. As a matter of fact, the troubles of Javakhk are common for whole Georgia. All what is earned there is seized for the state budget. Second, it's the language policy pursued by the Georgian authorities. A man who doesn't know Georgian cannot find a normal job. The problem always existed but now it has become more pressing. There are no Armenian institutes of higher education there, consequently there is little chance for bringing up intelligentsia. There is only a branch of the Tbilisi University in Akhalkalaki where ethnic Georgia who failed exams in Tbilisi go," he said. The Armenian political scientist also remarked that the Armenian population thinks that the Georgian authorities attempt to change the demographic situation in the region.



"Let's just fancy that this happens not accidentally. A remiss official orders to open an orphanage in Javakhk. The population rates this as an attempt to change the demographic situation. The deployment of the Georgian armed forces at the border is rated the same way. They say "peaceful Armenians and armed Georgians. Even if all this happens accidentally the population perceives it as pressure from official Tbilisi. I think the authorities should be cautious with the issue," Alexander Iskandayan said.

Full text of the interview