The Messenger

Wednesday, July=20 13,=20 2005, #128 (0902)

=20 Economic=20 proposals for Javakheti
President of Georgia suggests the = region can=20 become Georgian army's bread basket after Russians = depart
By=20 M. Alkhazashvili

Observers = in Georgia=20 and beyond are concerned that the withdraw of the Russian military = base=20 from the largely ethnic Armenian city of Akhalkalaki could create = an=20 economic vacuum in the already struggling region.

Cut off = from the rest=20 of the country for a large part of the year because of poor roads = and=20 extreme winters, Akhalkalaki's largest economic activity is the = Russian=20 military base, which relies on local farms for foodstuffs and many = local=20 workers for its general operation.

According = to the=20 newspaper Khvalindeli Dghe, on July 8 the speaker of Armenia's = National=20 Assembly Arthur Baghdasarian met with five ethnic-Armenian members = of the=20 Georgian Parliament, Melik Raisian, Aik Meltonian, Hamlet = Movsesian, Genze=20 Mkoian and Van Baiburt.

The paper cites Bagdasarian as = saying the=20 problems of Armenians living in Georgia are permanently on the = agenda of=20 Armenia's legislature. After the meeting the speaker reportedly = stated it=20 is necessary for he and his Georgian colleague Nino Burjanadze to = travel=20 to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region on a working visit.

The paper = also states=20 that the five Georgian MPs believe it is important to create a = concrete=20 development program for Georgian regions settled by ethnic = Armenians and=20 to provide significant state funds for this.

A large = amount of=20 funds are already in the pipeline, principally from Millenium = Challenge=20 Georgia's proposal to use U.S. funds to construct a thoroughfare = linking=20 Akhalkalaki and its surrounding region to the rest of the country. = The=20 Georgian government's proposal seeks USD 120 million and = anticipates=20 breaking ground on the project in the autumn if approved by=20 Washington.

President = Saakashvili=20 has made two other proposals to support the region economically in = the=20 absence of the Russian base. In spring he stated Georgian forces = based in=20 Kakheti would be redeployed to the region and thus provide the = base's=20 present workers with continued employment.

More = recently in=20 early July he stated that the Georgian armed forces would use the = region=20 as its proverbial breadbasket, establishing relations to regularly = purchase portions of the region's large harvest.

"These = people are=20 selling their potatoes and dairy products in the Russian army = market. Thus=20 I can understand why they are so worried by the Russian military = base's=20 removal - they think that they will be left without an income,"=20 Saakashvili said as quoted by the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaia=20 Gazeta.

"So we = decided that=20 these people have to carry on with their business but now they = must=20 provide the Georgian army with food," the president said, adding = that a=20 similar effort would be made in ethnic-Azeri regions with large = vegetable=20 harvests.

The = Moscow-based=20 Armenian political analyst Andranik Migranian however casts aside = these=20 attempts and warns that there are even larger problems emerging = with the=20 base withdrawal.

"It is = impossible for=20 us to ignore the fact that Georgia tries to settle only Georgians = in=20 Javakheti. Such step will cause an ethnic conflict. In schools of = this=20 region it is banned to study the history of Armenia and Armenian = churches=20 are labeled as Georgians," Migranian said as quoted by the = newspaper=20 Khvalindeli Dghe.

He = expressed concerns=20 that the regions Armenian residents need both political and = economic=20 considerations to feel at ease in Georgia. "The majority of these = people=20 make their living at the expense of the Russian military bases. If = the=20 bases leave this place they will have neither jobs nor money," = Migranian=20 said.

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