On the other hand, Georgian officials are said to be contended with just observing the results of daily policies aiming Armenians of Javakheti region.

A brawl broke up when a group of students from Tbilisi State University attempted to visit Surp Nishan Church of Ahilkelek’s Samsari village where Armenians live intensely last week of July 2005, and Georgian press bodies that follow the recent developments and hardening Armenian attitude towards Georgians in the region started to bring up the cause and effect relationship on the issue.

Georgian press indicated that the results of the false policies of Georgian government were obvious and pointed out that the government had tried staving off riots or uprisings, instead of eliminating the minority problems; and as a result, 98% of Javakheti population could not speak Georgian language or know the law, thus Armenian nationalism relatively reached a very strong stage.

Georgian press also emphasize that Russia’s interference with Georgia’s internal policies by causing instability in Javakheti region and Moscow uses the region as another source of instability just like Abkhazia.

The question was put back on the agenda with the tension between the Georgian students and Armenians and prioritised not only by Georgian press but also by Georgian Parliament Human Rights Commission Chairman Yelena Teodoradze.

Tevodoradze, in a statement, said nobody had a right to refrain Georgian citizens from visiting historical sites and Armenians were brought to the region only after the Ottoman-Russian wars in 1830s and lived there for a mere 170 years but Georgians existed in the disputed soil a long time ago.

Tevodoradze stated that the 58 of 68 ten year primary schools of Javakheti region were Armenian schools, where as 9 Russian and only 1 Georgian schools existed in the region; and stressed on the similarity of the Armenian formation in Upper Karabagh and Javakheti and qualified this formation of Armenian origin. Nationalist Armenians from Javakheti had assisted Upper-Karabagh Armenians during the clashes and this fact confirms Tevodoradze’s allegations on the issue.

Tevodoradze mentioned the Javakheti Armenians’ statements on the protection of Armenian cultural heritage and terms of regional development, however their minimum target’s being autonomy and the final aim was annexation of the region to Armenia; and Russia who wishes to generate chaos in Georgia was the country that supported Armenians on this issue.

Tevodoradze says bigger problems have not been faced in Javakheti yet, since the Armenian government does not wish to fight on two fronts on the Upper Karabagh and Javakheti axis, and is conscious of a full siege in case of a clash with Georgia.

Tevodoradze says the Armenian minority tries to characterize the problems as economic, but VIRK movement that represents local Armenians has statements regarding the issue as political. Tevodoradze also quotes VIRK movement leader David Rıstakian as having said that “a special status must be initiated to protect the multinational structure of the region, and NATO and Turks would settle down in the region if the Russian bases were to close”.

As a matter of fact, cultural and political autonomy demand of Javaheti Armenians is not a new matter.

Armenians are the majority in Javakheti region, also the homeland to Aheska Turks who were exiled to live there in Stalin era. Armenians search for cultural and political autonomy goes on for more than ten years.

The aims of Armenians are clearly confirmed by VIRK movement leader David Rıstakian’s statement of “Armenians of Georgia demand a Armenian Autonomous Republic within Georgia”.

Armenian intrepidity –as they embezzle the human rights watching Georgian government’s positive approach- of stopping Georgian citizens to visit historical sites and even burning the Georgian flag is strengthened by cultural and political autonomy demands that would give way to annexation to Armenia.