GEORGIANS GOING TO DENOUNCE KARS AGREEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The clauses of the Moscow agreement concluded by Lenin and Atatyurk behind the back of the Armenians and Georgians, was duplicated in March 1921 in the famous Kars agreement signed by Turkey from one side and by the three Southern Caucasus countries from the other. The agreements fixed the illegal annexation by Turkey of a significant part of the territory of Western Armenia and led to creation of an artificial state structure with the Georgian SSR - the Ajarian autonomy. Today certain forces in Moscow and Ankara try to use the agreement in order to make pressure over Georgia. Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan hinted recently that, in accordance with the principles of the Kars agreement, in case of escalation of the tension in Ajaria, Ankara can insert its troops in Batumi.

These kind of speculations were caused by the Georgian Parliament which adopted in 1993 a decision on prolongation and ratification of the Kars agreement. Now they are whipping the cat. In Tbilisi they understand that moving aside Abashidze is not enough and that 10 or 20 years later another Abashidze may appear. The country's authorities think seriously to denounce the agreement signed by the Ministers of Defense and Foreign affairs of the Georgian Soviet Socialistic Republic Shalva Eliava and Alexander Svanidze. The issue was discussed at the first session of the Committee on Foreign relations of the Georgian new Parliament. The Chairman of the Commission Kote Gabashvili assures that if the agreement is not denounced totally, at least it will be possible to revise its legal aspects. The matter concerns first of all the clauses of the document giving Moscow and Ankara the status of the guarantor of Ajarian autonomy.

We shall note that the Turks and Russians have the same status for Nakhichevan, which according to the Moscow and Kars agreements can not be ceded to third countries by Azerbaijan. If Georgians can denounce the agreement, Armenia that suffered from the deal of Lenin and Atatyurk, also can do it. We shall note that recently the Union of Writers of Armenia appeared with the initiative to discuss the issue in the National Assembly. For the moment the Armenian legislators follow the action of the Georgian counterparts. The precedent may have very interesting prospects.