Armenian NGOs call to stop discrimination against Armenians of Javakhk

February 18, 2010 - 18:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Discussion dedicated to preserving and protecting the rights of Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakhk-Tsalka was organized by Coordinating Council for the Protection of Javakhk Armenians' Rights (Javakhk compatriotic-charitable NGO, Mitq Analytical Center, Virk Party, Javakhk People's movement and Yerkir Union) in Yerevan. The seminar was attended by leaders of Armenian political parties, National Assembly MPs, NGO representatives, political scientists, experts, representatives of Javakhk bodies.

RA NA MP Shirak Torosyan on behalf of the Coordinating Council made a statement which, inter alia, says: "Political, civil, linguistic, cultural and religious rights of the Armenian population of Samtskhe-Javakhk-Tsalka are frequently violated. The Georgian authorities, ignoring the international community, continue their discriminatory policies against the Armenian population of the region. The policies of the Georgian authorities against the Armenians in the region leads to the outflow of Armenians from Samtskhe-Javakhk-Tsalka.

The Council calls upon the Armenian leadership and international organizations (UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, etc.) to take immediate action to stop the discriminatory policies of the Georgian authorities in the region and guarantee the security of the Armenian population. Prosecution of Armenian activists should be stopped, the Armenian language should be given the status of the regional language, and the status of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia should be addressed, Coordinating Council for the Protection of Javakhk Armenians Rights says.

Javakhk

Javakhk is first mentioned under this very name in "Armenian History" by the V c. historian Movses Khorenatsy in regard to the administrative reforms realized by king Vagharshak. Regardless of the different interpretations of the list of the kings of the pre-Christian period, all the researchers agree that the aforementioned events date as far back as the II c. BC. In the IV c. BC Javakhk was the summer residence of the Georgian king Parnavaz, "In autumn and spring he lived in the city of Mtskhet , in summer in Javakhet and in winter in Ganchenk". About 185 BC, Artashes I annexed the province to Metz Hayk Kingdom , while in 37 AD it became part of Georgia .

In the IV c. AD Javakhk is mentioned in the description of St. Nune's journey to Mtskhet,"... and in June I came to Mount Javakhet, and to the Parnava Sea, and when I came there I saw fishermen by the sea and shepherds on the seashore...". When Armenia was first divided between Byzantium and Sassanid Persia, Javakhk was annexed to the Georgian Province headed by the Marzpan (the governor) of the province, along with the other provinces of Gugark Region.

The Armenian-Georgian war for Javakhk started on December 5, 1918 and was stopped after British interference on December 31. An agreement signed in Tiflis in January 1919 stated that the northern part of Borchalinsky district passed on to Georgia, the southern part passed on to Armenia while the middle (Lori and Zangezur) was announced a "neutral zone" and was under control of British governor-general.

In 1921 Turkish troops intruded into Javakhk, meeting no resistance from the Georgian army. As result, half of the region's population died.

After establishment of the soviet rule in Georgia, Javakhk issue was raised again. Overwhelming majority of the province stood for joining Armenia. A final decision was taken at the plenary session of the Caucasus Bureau and was forwarded to consideration of the Georgian Communist Party's Central Committee, which decreed that "taking into account Akhalkalaki's political and economic ties with Tiflis, the proposals of our Armenian comrades is unacceptable."