Improving situation of Javakhk residents step towards enhancing Armenia-Georgia ties

Improving the situation of the Armenians of Javakhk is the only step towards enhancing the relationship between Armenia and Georgia, says the Coordinating Council for the Protection of Javakh Armenians' Rights.

The members of the group have issued a statement in the run-up to Georgian President Mikheil Sahalashvili's visit to Armenia.
Below is the text of the statement.

A key issue in Armenian-Georgian relations is the protection of Georgian Armenians' religious, cultural, educational rights, as well as the the solution of their current problems.

As more urgent issues, we have singled out the following:

o Granting Armenian language a status in Javahkh;

o Granting the Georgian diocese of the Armenian Apostolic church a status and returning the churches seized in the Soviet period;

o Ceasing persecutions against ethnic Armenian public figures and releasing Armenian nationalist and famous public figure Vahagn Chakhalyan;

o Lifting checkpoint bans on moving Armenian language books, newspapers and magazines to Javakhk;

o Lifting bans on Armenian activists' entry to Georgia;

o Restoring the reduced hours of Armenian language in the Armenian schools of Javakhk;

We call on both countries presidents to consider the problems above, as their solution will be the only possible way of establishing solid grounds for long-term friendly relations.