AKHALKALAKI, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Ethnic Armenian non-governmental organizations in Georgia’s southern region of Samtskhe Javakheti held last Saturday their first conference to discuss ways out of heavy social, economic and cultural conditions, experienced by the region’s mostly Armenian population.
Titled as Integration but not Merging the conference organizers invited representatives of the UN, OSCE, European Commission, foreign diplomats stationed in Tbilisi, parliament members, representatives of local and central authorities and from Armenia, but only a representative of the OSCE office in Tbilisi was present. Also Armenian members of Georgian parliament elected from the region did not attend it.
Local Armenians say in principle they are not against closer integration with the rest of Georgia, but they reject the central authorities’ integration policy which they say leads to their merging with ethnic Georgians.
The conference adopted a resolution that outlines ways out of the deep crisis experienced by the region. It also decided to set up a task force that will be seeking to design development plans together with Georgian government officials.
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