Armenian Reporter:

Georgian president receives a warm welcome from Armenian authorities

Armenians from Javakhk organize protests

Published: Friday June 26, 2009

Giro Manoyan refuses to leave a protest outside the Armenia Marriott hotel, where Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was staying, Yerevan, June 25. Courtesy of hetq.am

The young Armenians from Javakhk, and Giro Manoyan who had joined them, wanted to take advantage of the visit and remind Mr. Saakashvili of the many serious problems and issues in Javakhk. Mr. Manoyan is the widely recognized director of the ARF Bureau's Hay Tad and Political Affairs Office in Yerevan. There was a physical confrontation between Mr. Manoyan and police during the protest. When the Red Berets tried to disperse the protest using force, Mr. Manoyan wrapped his arms around a pole and refused to move. However, law-enforcement bodies successfully dispersed the crowd before Mr. Saakashvili left his hotel.

When asked about his role in the protest, Mr. Manoyan told the Armenian Reporter: "We weren't part of the organizers. I went there after people called me that there's a scuffle and police are pushing them back; because of the proximity to our office, I went there to be helpful."

Mr. Saakashvili was welcomed to Yerevan by his Armenian colleagues. Immediately following discussions, a press conference was held with the two presidents. President Serge Sargsian welcomed "the government of Georgia's efforts to ease the social and economic pressures in Javakhk, to improve the infrastructure, and to create new jobs."

Javakhk concerns

The Armenians of Javakhk, however, contend that the opposite is true. Those participating in the protests were trying to pass on a 10-point letter to the Georgian president, which included the following: "Give the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia official and legal status as a religious institution; halt the ‘Georgification' and seizure of Armenian churches; halt the scare tactics being used against Armenians by different state structures; halt all steps at creating an atmosphere of fear in the Samskhe-Javakheti territory; declare Armenian as a second state language; halt all attempts at artificially altering the demographics of the territory."

Immediately prior to the Georgian president's visit to Armenia, a member of parliament from the governing Republican Party of Armenia faction was not allowed to cross into Georgian territory at the Armenia-Georgia land border crossing; Armenian teachers from Georgia were not allowed to travel to Yerevan to take part in a training program to teach Armenian Church history in Armenian schools in Georgia. The Georgian side has also created difficulties in sending Armenian textbooks and journals to Georgia.

Spirit of cooperation

However, the spirit of the Sargsian-Saakashvili press conference was different. In light of these circumstances, the Georgian president very seriously said that he would personally ensure that land border crossings become easier. This assurance may very well be sincere, especially these days when thousands of Armenians are getting ready to spend their summer holidays on the Adjarian coast of the Black Sea. Armenians bring in tens of millions of dollars of income to Georgia's tourism industry annually.

The Georgian president gave assurances that he would open the Upper Lars checkpoint for Armenian cargo and passenger transport, if Russia is ready to open that road from the Russian side. Mr. Sargsian said: "During discussions [Mr. Saakashvili] said that Georgia would not create obstacles and would assist in the transit of Armenian products toward Russia."

Since 2004, with the excuse of repairs, Russia has closed the Russian-Georgian Upper Lars-Kazbegi checkpoint, through which Armenian and Russian products would be transported. In fact, by blockading Georgia, Russia has indirectly also blockaded Armenia.

Mr. Saakashvili avoided speaking Russian during his public speeches. In past visits, he spoke Russian. Moreover, he accused Russia of seizing Georgian territory and severely straining his country's domestic political situation. Since August 2008, Russia, de jure, has placed the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia under its control and has recognized their independence.

On June 25, Mr. Saakashvil visited Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial, and placed flowers in the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

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