GEORGIAN PRESS ABOUT GEORGIANS IN AZERBAIJAN: "SMALL GEORGIA WITHIN AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Young people of Saingilo are arrested for singing in church…" Saingilo is a Georgian name of a region in Azerbaijan, where the Georgian minority has compactly settled. Georgian Times published an article written on the basis of the newspaper correspondent's visit to Balakenski, Gakhski and Zakatalski regions of Azerbaijan. "Out of hundreds of Christian churches only one was saved. Neither friendship between Heydar Aliyev and Eduard Shevarnadze nor friendship between Ilham Aliyev and Mikhail Saakashvili led to good", the author continues. In his words, the local inhabitants were too much frightened to dare to speak with the people from Georgia. "For already 7 or 8 years Georgian History and Geography have not been taught here". Completing the article the author retells a story of several young Georgians, who were arrested when singing with lighted candles in Alaverdi Church. The Azeris do not want the Georgian children to know that these lands belonged to Georgia in the past, that Georgians used to be Christians and that Saingilo was separated from their homeland, the author resumes.