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Russia continues to kindle nationalist moods among Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti in Georgia. The purpose of Moscow is to shatter and weaken Georgia as much as possible, and for the sake of this the Kremlin is ready to sacrifice its only ally in the Caucasus - Armenia. As for Armenia, the conflict with Georgia over the Armenian enclave is fraught with political disaster.
Javakh: The First Volley in the Struggle for Autonomy
Tense situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti area inhabited by ethnic Armenians has been aggravated even more since the beginning of the month. On October 5 employees of the Tax service of Georgia arrived in the main city of the area – Akhalkalaki, for an inventory check of several shops suspected in the concealment of taxes. This was harmless enough, but at first sight the activity caused mass disorder and an aggressive mob of 300 people came to the building of the tax police. The servicemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs interfered: a massive fight broke out and several people received wounds and were traumatized.
Immediately after that the heads of the Armenian community of Javakh made a statement calling the inspection and closing of shops illegal, and the actions of the authorities on the dispersal of crowd – a provocation. In the statement it was noted that the "dispersal of peaceful picketers" was an attempt of the authorities "to put pressure on Javakh after the decision of the Council of Public Organizations of Javakheti on September 24, 2005."
On the night of October 13 in the city of Ahalkalaki unknown people scattered leaflets printed in Russian, which were signed by an unknown organization, "Brigade of Freeing of Ahaltzihi". Under the text the Turkish coat of arms, a crescent and a star, was printed. In leaflets addressed to the Armenian population it was ordered that they " immediately clear the area and leave for Armenia, Russia, America". "Otherwise, you will be subjected to a genocide, as your ancestors in 1915", the leaflets threatened.
The Council of Armenian Public Organizations, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and also the majority of the inhabitants of Akhalkalaki expressed the opinion that it was another attempt to provoke the Armenian population of the area to reciprocal actions with the view of destabilizing conditions in this area.
At this point it is necessary to mention the events, which preceded the disorders. On September 23-24 in the administrative center of Samtskhe-Javakheti - Akhalkalaki "The status of Javakh in the state structure of Georgia" the leadership of the local Armenian community signed an application to the authorities of Georgia. The request contained the categorical demand of granting Samtskhe-Javakheti wide autonomy with the right of self-management and granting the Armenian language the status of the second official language in the area. The leaders of Javakh declared that they would not be satisfied with a lower status than the one offered by Tbilisi to South Ossetia. The demands were accompanied by charges addressing the Georgian government, claiming that it neglects the interests of Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti and considers them as the citizens of "second chop."
This statement looked like some kind of a "declaration of war" - especially on a background of the compromising position of Georgia and the more than constrained policy of Armenia. When at the beginning of this year the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti was aggravated, Tbilisi had taken steps to improve the social and economic situation in the region. The Georgian authorities were going to allocate money for the creation of new workplaces in Javakh and for development of a transportation infrastructure. For these purposes Tbilisi allocated about $100 million, and that made up about one third of the American grant. According to the Prime Minister of Georgia, Zurab Nogaideli, in 2006 construction of two railways through Samtskhe-Javakheti will be started: one will connect this region with Tbilisi, another - with Armenia. The Georgian leadership is also going to invest in the repair of schools in Samtskhe-Javakheti, and also allocate $4000 to the repair of the therapeutic branch of a hospital in Akhalkalaki. The representative of the president of Georgia in the region, Giorgi Khachidze, (the Tbilisi-appointed governor of Javakheti) declared that Georgia understands the importance of development in this region.
Yerevan: The "Problem of Javakh" Do not Exist
On this background, the statement of the leaders of the Armenian community of Samtskhe-Javakheti that their region is in desolation looks like an obvious exaggeration. This was recognized by the Armenian representatives in Georgia, who are not connected with Javakh, and, what is even more important – by the leaders of Armenia. The representative of the Armenian community, a member of the Georgian Parliament, Van Baiburt, declared that the participants in the conference were trying to "aggravate the situation artificially" and after the already carried out reforms in Samtskhe-Javakheti "the social and economic situation here is not worse than in Mtsheta, which is half an hour away from Tbilisi."
In its turn the Armenian leadership emphasized that it does not support the separatist moods in Samtskhe-Javakheti. At a joint press conference with Zurab Nogaideli at the end of September in Yerevan the Prime Minister of Armenia, Andranik Margaryan, declared that there is no tension between his country and Georgia because of Javakh. The sides "work on the improvement of social and economic conditions in the area," he emphasized, noting that any charges addressed to the Georgian leadership are a provocation. "I think that this problem does not exist. It appears each time only when it is in someone's interest to create it", he said.
"Russian Intelligence Entered this Problem into the Agenda"
The question is "who is interested"? It is abundantly clear that Armenia is not. Georgia today is the only neighbor of Armenia with which it has normal relations. Besides, energy carriers from Russia come through Georgia to Armenia. If the ethnic conflict in Samtskhe-Javakheti is transformed into a conflict with Georgia, Armenia would suffer a political and economic blockade. It is natural that "the war on two fronts" is bad for Yerevan. So the Armenians do everything to remove any tension in their relations with Tbilisi.
However, Russia is very interested in escalating strains in Samtskhe-Javakheti. From the point of view of Moscow, separatist moods there are a fine tool for weakening Georgia and forcing the government of Mikhail Saakashvili to abandon a pro-Western course. If the two already existing rebellious enclaves - Abkhazia and South Ossetia are joined by a third - Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia would face a threat of total disintegration and could cease to exist as a sovereign state.
Therefore, from the very beginning the Kremlin persistently heated up spontaneous anti-Georgian moods in Javakh and, after the curtailing of the Russian bases became a reality, it started to intimidate local Armenians with a "Turkish threat". The Russian agents were spreading rumors that Turks will come to Javakh under the aegis of NATO, and it will inevitably be followed by "ethnic cleansings." The abovementioned leaflets warning of "genocide" was part of the campaign of terror.
There is no doubt that not only in Tbilisi, but in Yerevan and even in Baku the current demands of the leaders of Samtskhe-Javakheti, accompanied with threats of carrying out a referendum on the question of autonomy, and disorders in the area are inspired by Russia.
The Armenian writes: "The efforts of Russia to provoke destabilization in Javakh and by that - in the whole of Georgia, were not crowned with success only because the authorities of Armenia hampered further escalation of the events."
Azerbaijani political scientist, Rasim Musabekov, writes in plain terms: "Russian Intelligence pushes the Armenians to make territorial claims on Georgia." According to another Azerbaijani political scientist, Zardust Alizadeh, "Russian Intelligence, together with the leaders of local Armenians, entered this question (over the situation in Javakh) into the agenda". "The Armenians do not want to acquire a second enemy in the region. This aim is pursued by the pro-Moscow forces of Armenians both in Armenia, and in Russia."
The statement of the President of the Union of Armenians in Russia, Ara Abramyan, who is closely connected with the Kremlin, about "the awful situation in the area" and "the unwillingness of authorities to solve the problem of Javakh," is very typical. This statement is antithetical to those of the leaders of Armenia and representatives of the Armenian community in Georgia.
Russia seeks ways to exsanguinate Georgia, and asserts its efforts almost openly. Until now Yerevan has succeeded in preventing these plots, but today the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti could easily become uncontrollable. The consequences of this can be tragic not only for Georgia, but also for Armenia, which Putin calls "the most reliable partner of Russia." Today it sounds, like a mockery…
Related items:
The Russian Blockade of Armenia (06.08.2005)
"Made in Russia": The Armenian Dynamite for Georgia (30.07.2005)
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