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Armenian official upbeat on cooperation with Georgia in ethnic regio

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  • Armenian official upbeat on cooperation with Georgia in ethnic regio

    Armenian official upbeat on cooperation with Georgia in ethnic region

    Ayots Ashkar, Yerevan
    2 Aug 05

    Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan has recently visited
    Javakhk where together with his Georgian counterpart they discussed
    and identified a number of problems connected with joint investments
    in this Armenian-populated region of Georgia. The prime minister's
    adviser and deputy chairman of the "Powerful Motherland" party,
    Stepan Markaryan, commented on this.

    [Correspondent Ayots Ashkar] Mr Markaryan, joint programmes will be
    implemented in Javakhk. Is there a guarantee that the Georgian party
    will fulfil its obligations?

    [Markaryan] There is no guarantee, as no agreement was signed. But the
    attitude of the present-day Georgian authorities toward the matter
    and the general impression from their working style inspire hope
    for a positive outcome. Armenia expressed readiness to take part in
    improving the situation in Javakhk, in particular in the humanitarian
    sphere. I mean, supplies of textbooks and provision of support for
    schools, cultural centres and the health service system.

    The Georgian side intends to provide the main bulk of aid in 2007, when
    it will receive money from the USA under the millennium programme. They
    propose to invest a total 120m US dollars in Javakhk, in particular
    for restoring the roads leading to the Armenian border.

    I think it is important that the Georgian side responded positively
    to our proposal to set up an Armenian-Georgian University in
    Akhalkalak. We hope that a relevant agreement will be signed in the
    near future.

    [Correspondent] What is the situation in the health service system?
    There are reports that the Georgian side is implementing a doctors'
    training course and that Armenian doctors who do not know the Georgian
    language are to be dismissed.

    [Markaryan] There are two district hospitals in Akhalkalak and
    Ninotsminda. The situation in the Akhalkalak hospital is better. But
    on the whole the system is ruined and needs serious investments. I
    am not aware of this information regarding the doctors' training,
    but I do not think that the Georgians will dismiss doctors who do
    not know the language. There are not enough doctors in the region
    and they require more, as well as medical equipment. The Armenian
    side said it was ready to help with equipment as much as it can.

    [Correspondent] Don't you find the policy of the present Georgian
    government different from that of the previous one?

    [Markaryan] In general, at Shevardnadze's time there was also a
    positive attitude towards our initiatives. But all our arrangements
    remained on paper. Agreements were made even at the presidential level,
    but everything got stuck in the middle at the medium and low official
    levels. There was a special type of Georgian functionaries with false
    sense of patriotism who hindered the initiatives because they thought
    this benefited their country, although results differed. Actually,
    we notice the approach of today's authorities of Georgia and their
    ideological difference. That is to say, they admit the problems and
    the need to resolve them. Whether they have a potential to settle
    them is another matter. For this reason they are very careful in
    their statements, thus they did not promise much during the last
    meeting. They just said that some major investments and changes are
    expected in 2007.
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