GEORGIA’S ARMENIANS WANT TBILISI TO RECOGNISE "GENOCIDE"
Tamuna Uchidze
Institute for War & Peace Reporting IWPR
April 27 2010
UK
But analysts say it could not afford to put its relations at risk
with Ankara.
Georgia is unlikely to agree to an appeal by the country’s Armenian
community to officially recognise as genocide the mass killings
conducted in the Ottoman Empire after 1915, commentators say.
More than 20 countries have recognised the killings as genocide,
despite furious opposition from Turkey, but experts say Georgia is
not expected to join them, being dependant on its neighbour for much
of its trade and access to the outside world.
Every year on April 24, Armenians around the world mark the mass
killings that they say began on that date in Istanbul in 1915. This
year, three groups – The Armenian Community of Georgia, The Armenian
Centre of Cooperation of Georgia and the Association of Armenian
Students of Georgia – for the first time prepared an appeal to both
parliament and President Mikhail Saakashvili.
According to the last census, Armenians make up five per cent of
Georgia’s population, most of them being concentrated in the southern
Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
"This year it is 95 years since the start of the first genocide of the
20th century – the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-23.
The Armenians of Georgia have one desire, that the authorities
recognised this fact, and therefore we decided to begin our process,"
Alexander Oganov, a representative of the Armenian students’ group,
said.
Robert Muradyan, a teacher in one of Georgia’s Armenian-language
schools, said such a step would be hugely appreciated by Armenians.
"The genocide of ethnic Armenians has been recognised by many
countries. If Georgia recognises it, it would be a mark of respect
towards the Armenian nation," he said.
However, most experts think that such a statement by the government
would cause outrage in Turkey, which Saakashvili can ill afford,
considering his already poor relations with northern neighbour Russia.
"The examination of such a question would complicate relations between
Georgia and Turkey," said Tsira Meskhishvili, chairwoman of the
Tolerant association, in words echoed across the political spectrum.
"This is a very complicated question which we must approach with great
caution. Armenia is our neighbour and partner, but it is necessary
also to study the geopolitical situation in the region," said Tamaz
Petriashvili, who represents part of Samtskhe-Javakheti , a largely
ethnic Armenian region, for the ruling coalition in parliament.
"Georgia has to consider many factors, including our strategic
relations with Turkey, which is also a neighbour and one of Georgia’s
important partners."
The parliament deputy declined to speculate whether the chamber would
debate the issue soon.
"If it was that simple a question, then it would have been resolved
by other countries as well a long time ago. We need to be cautious,
so as to maintain stability in the region," he said.
There is some political pressure on the local level, however. Ruben
Karapetyan, deputy head of the local administration in Alakhtsikhe,
which is the main town of Samtskhe-Javakheti, said Armenians would
maintain the campaign for recognition.
"What difference does it make when this happens? Today or tomorrow,
this question will be on the agenda anyway. Ethnic Armenians living
in Georgia have waited for the genocide to be recognised for a long
time already," he said.
But historians say that, whatever the facts of the case, which are
disputed between Armenia and Turkey, recognition would be a step
based on politics, not history.
"If Turkey recognises the genocide, and Georgia goes along with it,
that is a different thing. Otherwise, we would radically change
our good neighbourly relations with Turkey. In such a situation,
Georgia must not recognise the genocide and it won’t happen," Nikoloz
Akhalkatsi, a Georgian historian, said.
His opinion seemed to meet broad consensus among political analysts,
who said the government could not afford to put its relations at risk
with Ankara.
"Georgia borders both Armenia and Turkey, and does not have the right
to harm relations with either of its neighbours. Georgian citizens
of Armenian ethnicity should look on this question with understanding.
They, of course, have the right to give petitions to the authorities,
but must be prepared to receive a justified refusal," said Paata
Zakareishvili, an analyst from the Institute for Researches of
Nationalism and Conflicts.
He said the protocols agreed between Turkey and Armenia, which are
intended to normalise relations between the countries, sanctioned
the establishment of a joint commission to study the question of
the genocide.
"It would be better if Georgia waited for the conclusions of this
commission. I think that a time will come when Turkish society and
state recognise this fact. The question is a problem for Turkish
society, not for Armenians," he said.
Tamuna Uchidze is a reporter from the Southern Gates newspaper.