April 12, 2007 - 15:16 AMT
Georgians need image of enemy and Armenian became such an image
Georgia still does not feel herself as a state and that's why there exists a policy of self-affirmation, which supposes nationalism, member of the Republican Party of Georgia, political scientist Paata Zakareishvili stated to the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. He said, generally it exists on everyday level, but Georgians need an image of enemy and Armenians became such an image. "But the matter is not in Armenians, the matter is in Georgians themselves, in Georgian mentality. They treat bad Azeris too. It's true that now nobody speaks like the times when Gamsakhurdia was the president of the country, "Georgia for Georgians", but still some traces of those times remain. Only the Georgian government is guilty in the Javakhk problem. I think there is nothing dangareos in granting autonomy, including to Javakhk. The notion of "autonomy" supposes only self-government," Zakareishvili underlined.

The Georgian political scientist reminded that the Georgian society suffers from phobia towards autonomies. "It is quite explainable taking into account separated autonomies of Georgia - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We view all steps taken by Armenians of Javakhk towards receiving autonomy as efforts for full separation, but this is not the case. The cause of phobia is in the reason that we do not know each other. We must seat and discuss what Armenians of Javakhk want and what Georgia can offer them," Paata Zakareishvili said.

  • Full text of the interview