Georgia’s Leadership Launches Policy of Forcing Armenians To Leave Javakhk

Member of Republican Party of Armenia parliamentary group Shirak Torosyan said that the Georgian leadership has launched a new policy of forcing Armenians to leave Javakhk.

A new program has been approved for Armenian schools of Javakhk. According to the program, the number of lessons of the Armenian language and literature has been cut by two times, Torosyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the Georgian authorities aim to eradicate the Armenian language in Javakhk, what is a rough violation of national minorities’ rights.

“The anti-Armenian policy of Georgia’s leadership is exceeding all bounds,” said Torosyan.  Read more... (833 words)

Armenian Political Activist Vahagn Chakhalyan’s Appeal To Georgia’s Supreme Court Rejected

Javakheti-based Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan today circulated a statement from a Rustaveli prison.

“The decision of Georgia’s Supreme Court was quite expected. Like the First Instance Court and Appellate Court, the Supreme Court duly obeyed the instructions of Georgian authorities infringing the principles of fair trial,” reads the statement.

A few days ago, the Supreme Court decided to reject the appeal on Chakhalyan’s case.

The Javakheti activist demands to stop political persecution against Javakheti Armenians, repeal the verdicts on his father, brother and him, compensate all losses inflicted on them in the process of illegal trial, and start a fair and impartial investigation into his arrest.  Read more... (203 words)

An Armenian Church in Georgia Faces Identity Issue

A dispute over the “faith” identity of an Armenian church in Georgia has overshadowed the poor condition in which the nonfunctioning medieval house of worship has been for years.

Conflicting reports about the fate of the Holy Cross Church in Akhaltsikhe, an Armenian-populated province in present-day Georgia, were made early this year, as some groups in Armenia claimed the Armenian traces of the church were being erased under the guise of planned renovation.

The non-functioning church’s status has been another point at issue amid reports that it has been handed over to the Roman Catholic Church.  Read more... (678 words)

Renovation or destruction?: Conflicting Reports on an Armenian Catholic Church in Georgia

Conflicting reports have been made lately in Armenia about the fate of a seventh-century Armenian Catholic church in Akhaltsikhe, in the Armenian-populated province of Georgia.

While the Armenian Catholic Church and nongovernmental organizations raising the issue of the church say that yet another Armenian church is being destroyed in Georgia, the Georgian-Armenian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church insists that “small khachkars (cross stones) and Armenian inscriptions have been moved for the needs of research being conducted ahead of repairs.”  Read more... (583 words)

Turkey’s Ambassador to Sweden Returns to Stockholm Tomorrow

On March 30, Turkey’s ambassador to Sweden Zergun Korutürk will return to Stockholm and assume her ambassadorial responsibilities, reports Turkish news agency Ankara.

Earlier this month, she was recalled after Sweden’s parliament on March 11 narrowly approved a resolution recognizing the World War-I era killings of Armenians as genocide.

Earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told CNNTurk TV that Ankara was “satisfied” by Stockholm’s statements opposing the riksdag’s move.

“Under these circumstances, Sweden cannot be compared to United States. After the adoption of that resolution the Swedish authorities clearly showed that they are against that bill and later made a statements which was completely satisfactory,” Davutoğlu had said.  Read more... (137 words)

Georgian Authorities File New Charges Aagainst Vahagn Chakhalyan

The Georgian authorities have filed two new charges against the Javakheti political activist- Vahagn Chakhalyan, who was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on April, 2009.

The first charge is based on the failed attempt of Georgianization of the Armenian Church in Javakheti village Samsar in July 2005, the second one is based on the protest manifestation at the Georgian-Armenian border checkpoint “Zhdanovakan-Bavra” in December 2005.

Vahagn Chakhalyan and his lawyers were informed about this on March 11, 2010 by the investigators of the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda Police departments- Spartak Khechoyan and Gevorg Kspoyan, who visited the Javakheti political activist for interrogation in Rustavi colony of strict regime.  Read more... (181 words)

Georgia–Armenia Relations have Reached an All-Time Low: Zurabyan

The policy adopted by Armenian authorities has had serious impacts on relations with Georgia, said Armenian National Congress Coordinator Levon Zurabyan at a press conference today.

“The Georgian President violated a more than 15-year old tradition when he declared that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue should be resolved within Azerbaijani’s territorial integrity. He also deems it positive that Turkey holds consultations with Azerbaijan over the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process.

“This unprecedented, better to say, contemptuous statements did not get a reaction; such a low-level atmosphere of mutual trust left its imprint on the results of the recent visit by Georgian Prime Minister [Nika Gilauri] to Armenia,” said Zurabyan.  Read more... (188 words)

Georgian Prime Minister:We Welcome The Resolution Of All Conflicts In Our Region

The delegation headed by Georgia’s Prime Minister Nika Gilauri has arrived in Armenia on a one-day working visit. Within the framework of the visit the Georgian Prime Minister had a meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

“We welcome the resolution of all conflicts in our region,” Nika Gilauri said at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

“We welcome the opening of the Armenian Turkish border and the normalization of relations between the two countries,” he said. According to him, the opening of the border will have no influence on transportation fees, but the diversification will benefit all the countries of the region.  Read more... (185 words)

Armenian-Turkish Rapprochement Could Have Significant Economic Impact On Tbilisi

As prospects dim for a quick reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border, Georgian business executives remain quietly content. Trouble with the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process can mean continued economic benefits for Georgian traders.

Turkey and Armenia signed reconciliation protocols last October that specified that their mutual border would be reopened to trade upon ratification by both countries’ parliaments. Strong domestic opposition, however, has delayed the ratification process, and some experts now question whether the protocol provisions will ever be implemented.  Read more... (830 words)