14 March 2004 16:50
Presidents discuss problems of Georgia`s Armenian community
Yerevan, 12 March: Georgian Armenians should be full citizens of our country with equal opportunities, Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili told a news conference in Yerevan today.
At the same time, the Georgian president noted the need for concrete work in regions. For example, he said that a
Russian military base is the only employer in Akhalkalaki [Georgian region populated by ethnic Armenians]. "This is
not a normal situation," he said, adding that one could not survive without a well-developed economy. Moreover, he
mentioned tough climatic conditions in the region. This circumstance, as well as the fact that the region is located on
the border, became obstacles to the development of the region back during the Soviet era.
As for the demands that the political status of the Georgian region be changed, Saakashvili said that this kind of
issues could be resolved exclusively within Georgia.
I am thankful to the Armenian president for his strict position on territorial integrity and stability in Georgia and
in the region as a whole. This is in the interests of Armenia, Georgia and of the future of the South Caucasus,"
Saakashvili said.
At the same time, he noted that "any attempt to artificially disrupt stability is doomed to failure, as Armenia
has a president who understands very well the significance of stability and peace and second, understands that this
intention can lead to tragedy, which I would not advise anybody even to think about".
He noted that he even did not welcome debates on this issue. He said that sometimes people think about this. Those
are the people who have no idea about the region and its problems but are engaged in theoretical alterations to maps,
Saakashvili said.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan also underlined the similarity of the positions of the Armenian and Georgian
authorities, which called for more harmonic and deeper integration of the Armenian diaspora into Georgia's
economic, political and cultural life.
"This is the core on the basis of which concrete actions should be taken. These include a road linking Tbilisi
with the region of Javakheti, a road which will create conditions for selling produce from the region on Tbilisi's
markets and also economic programmes.
"We could work on this together," Kocharyan noted. He said that the main goal was proper integration of the
Armenian community into Georgian communities of these regions. "This is Armenia's official position," the
Armenian president said.
[Arminfo] |
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