Protesters Not Welcomed by Georgia's Ambassador to Armenia

No one showed up to take the letter prepared by the National Neo-Conservative Movement - a local NGO - at the Embassy of Georgia in Armenia after the leaders of the movement waited near the embassy entrance in downtown Yerevan for about 30 minutes - neither the ambassador nor any other employee. This prompted them to leave the letter to the policemen provided that they would hand it to the ambassador Grigol Tabatadze.

With that letter the movement demanded that the Georgian authorities stop the policy of splitting Javakhq region, something traditionally implemented still from the Soviet Union times. Part of the demand is that Georgian authorities link the Armenian-populated Tsalka - currently in the Kvemo Kartli - to the Javakhq region.

With posters that read "Let's Together Defend Javakhq," "No to Georganization of Javakhq" the protesters also demanded that Javakhq Armenians be given wide autonomy in Georgia, that the Armenian language and the Armenian Church be given a status while will facilitate the protection of the language and the preservation of the churches.

Realizing that no single employee of the embassy will eventually show up, the movement's leader Eduard Abrahamyan told reporters: "We were aware that the Georgian ambassador is not standing out with his knowledge of diplomatic etiquette. This was the hand stretched for dialogue that was not shaken."