Moscow hosts roundtable on Social-Economic Problems of Javakheti Armenians

June 20, 2010 - 15:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 19, Moscow hosted a roundtable on Social-Economic Problems of Javakheti Armenians. The event, organized by Armenian youth, brought together Javakheti Armenians, as well as people who understand the importance of Javakhk for the Armenian state's development.

Social-economic and political issues were in the focus of the roundtable. Besides, participants of the event were provided with the opportunity to present their opinions and share news.

Many people are concerned over the problems faced by their relatives in Javakhk. The discriminative policy of Georgian authorities towards Armenians residing there continues year after year. The permanent pressure on Armenians has resulted in significant drop in the number of Armenians in the region.

Besides, the problems of Armenian churches and decrease in number of cultural and religious centers were discussed during the event.

The event's participants decided to send an appeal to the Georgian government and people.

"To improve the situation, it is necessary to release all political prisoners from Samtskhe-Javakheti, to grant the Armenian language a status of regional language in Javakhk, to provide the Armenian Apostolic Church of Georgia with legal status and Javakhk - with local self-governance, etc.

Only if these minimal requirements are met, the relations between our peoples will reach a high level," reads the statement, organizers of the event told PanARMENIAN.Net

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."