MINELRES: Georgia: New rally in Akhalkalak

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: United Javakhk <javakhk@inbox.ru>


Press Release - Rally in Javakhk
31-03-2005

On March 31, despite the  hindrances from the Georgian officials and the
Georgian Police, a rally took place in Akhalkalak (Javakhk, Georgia)
uniting several thousand people. The Georgian Police put up road blocks
to hinder the potential rally participants to get to Akhalkalak from the
villages. At 9:00 AM the Police sealed off the central square in
Akhalkalak. However, after some verbal exchanges with the people and the
organizers of the rally, they opened the square at 11:00 AM. At this
time, about six thousand people had gathered. Towards the end of the
rally, the participants already reached about nine thousand people. 

United Javakhk accounted for the results from the last rally which took
place on March 13 in front of the participants:

1- The passport services have been returned to Akhalkalak, the tax
services have followed.
2- Georgian officials agreed to include Armenian history classes in the
curriculum of the Armenian school in Georgia.

United Javakhk furthermore demanded that in the Akhalkalak and
Ninotsminda areas the Armenian language be granted official status on a
par with the Georgian language.

United Javakhk will fight with all constitutional means for the
fulfillment of the demands from March 13 and which did not encounter the
needed response from the Georgian authorities:

1) Recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915 by the Georgian
Parliament.

2) Voting of a law on the protection of National Minorities Rights in
Georgia.

3) Demand not to withdraw the Russian Military Base in Akhalkalak (as it
represents a major stability and economic factor for the region).

United Javakhk called upon the All Armenian Catolicos to give Javakhk
the status of a separate Diocese.
The participants furthermore called upon Armenians worldwide not to
forget about their kin in Javakhk and to pay attention to the problems
in Javakhk. 

And a plea was directed at the Armenian Government to further and help
as much as possible the economic development of Javakhk.


Organisers of the rally
Social Union - "United Javakhk"
Information Agency "Javakhk-Info"
Tel: +995 99 914 600