Recommendations on the Protection of National Minorities (Part One)

The national minorities in Georgia are not satisfied with their living conditions and they offer the recommendation policy paper to the Government. Tolerance, integration in society, and illiteracy of the state language – these are the basic problems of national minority. Though, they do not forget positive cases, made for salvation of their problems.

In 2005 Georgia ratified the frame convention of Europe Council on National Minorities Protection. To implement mentioned convention in reality, the National Minority Commissions of Public Defender’s Office prepared recommendations. The representatives of Public Defender’s Office and European Centre on Minorities Issues, representatives of national Diasporas living in Georgia were participated in the preparation of recommendations.

The recommendations are about different sphere and departments, though the direction is one – tolerance, diversity and integration in society.

What about the concrete problems, the representatives of the national minorities talk about them with the Human Rights Centre. Among them, the sternest is Arnold Stepanian, the chief of the joint civil movement “Multinational Georgia”, who declares, that the interests of the minorities are ignored.

Arnold Stepanian: “Minorities do not participate in the building process of the country. We cannot manage in integrate minorities within the Georgian society, because there is now attitude shaped for integration; minority interests are totally ignored. A lot of people think that minority is the Troa Horse and not the plenipotentiary citizen. Maybe, the Georgian society is afraid to give more possibilities to minorities. I cannot say, that the minorities living in Samtskhe-Javakheti and in Kvemo Kartli are the plenipotentiary members of Georgian society. There are a lot of reasons for that – illiteracy of the state language, bad quality of communications, and informational vacuum in the regions. When we started the building of the independent country, everybody forgot about the minorities.” 

About existing problems talks Pharkhat Musaev, the chief of the society “Georgia is My Homeland”. According to him, the main problem for the compact living Azers is the lack of the land: “The basic living source for those people is land. They have been working on the land during the centuries and are still working on it. We have to support them to share the land equally.

What about integration, unfortunately, minorities do not know the Georgian language. This fact hinders minorities in the integration. They are not able to find jobs. That’s why we have to do everything, to help those people to learn the Georgian language. For example, it is too difficult when the young boy who is going to serve in the Georgian army does not know the Georgian language. How would he manage to implement commander’s order? The Georgian government has to ensure the learning of the Georgian language from the first class in the Azerbaijan schools.”  

Mamuli Nishumashvili, the president of the association “Udi” in Kakheti region has fewer problems. According to him, Kakheti region is classic sample of tolerance and integration. Udi population is on the edge of depopulation. They have their own ancient Udian language. They live in the village October in Kvareli region. At present, 170 families live in the village.

“If somebody wants to see tolerance and integration they have to come to this village. We can say, 90 percent of mothers of Udians are Georgians. We have no integration problems. Though, we have another problem, we face danger to lose our ancient language and cultural inheritance,” says Nishumashvili.

Koba Chophliani, coordinator of national minority council of Public Defender’s office declares that the problems of minorities are bigger in the regions then in the capital. Though, the problem in capital is also obvious. One of the examples of the minority problems is the known incident with MP Beso Jugheli (see 1-3 May articles in the site).

Agid Mirzoev, the head of the “Multinational Georgia” declares, that a lot of national minorities appeal to their organization for the help. And their major problem is the discrimination and humiliation based on nationality. Besides this, according to Mirzoev, one of the serious problems is that, Kurts have to opportunity to restore their historical surnames.

According to Chophliani, it is too difficult to establish the fact of the discrimination: “There are some cases, when a person has problems in his/her working place and this problem is caused from the nationality. Though, it is difficult to assert it.”

Part II - http://www.humanrights.ge/eng_/articles.php?id=803

Eka Gulua