Armenia made a mistake, allowing to shift discussion of Javakhk Armenians’ issues into the realm of Armenia-Georgia intergovernmental relations, according to a program coordinator at Yerkir Union of NGOs for Repatriation and Settlement.

As Robert Tatoyan told a news conference in Yerevan, the issue will never be solved on intergovernmental level, as Georgia will try to use the issue to pressure Armenia into concessions.

“The problems must be resolved through negotiations between Georgian authorities and Javakhk’s civil society institutes,” Tatoyan noted, observing that after 2008, Georgia has lost its status of a reliable partner and a democratic state.

Deputy director of Caucasus Institute, political analyst Sergey Minasyan, in turn, noted that Armenia must try to resolve the issue in the format of European organizations Georgia is affiliated with. “U.S. Armenian Diaspora’s involvement may also be effective in view of Georgia’s efforts to maintain good relations with the U.S.,” the expert concluded.