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After three weeks of head scratching over odd statements made by Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili, Yerevan analysts have concluded that the Georgian is:
1. Still unhappy about the loss of Georgian statehood 200 years ago.
2. Expressing his nation’s anti-Semitism, masked in Armenophobia.
3. Secretly seeing a monarch when he looks in the mirror.
4. Using language as reverse psychology
On September 1, Saakashvili told a Sagarejo, Georgia audience that Moscow is putting pressure on Yerevan for Armenia to implement anti-Georgian policies.
“Russia has finally blocked the customs house in Lars. And it has blocked it not only to us, but also to neighboring Armenia which had cargoes shipped through Lars, because it tells Armenia – let’s carry out some plans together,” Georgia’s Head of State said. “Naturally, no one will agree to that, but such a policy of putting pressure on Armenia in the context of Georgia does exist.”
What exactly had caused such a reaction of the Georgian president?
“The attitude of the national Georgian elite is distinguished by its continuity,” says Armenian specialist in Georgian studies Pavel Chobanyan. “Pointing at Russia as a reason for the loss of the Georgian throne (in 1801) fully fits in the context of processes unfolding in the country. They don’t forget to mention the fact that ‘the decision about the abolition of the Georgian throne was read out in Tiflis by an Armenian, and the first deputy of the Russian czar was appointed Armenian general Lazarev. The Russian-Armenian tandem as an image of an enemy is traditionally presented by the Georgian elite as one of the mechanisms consolidating the nation.”
From the University of Jerusalem, Dr. Dan Shapira, academic head of the “Russian Project” writes: “Georgian-Christians have always felt a threat from Armenians. “xxxs have never been perceived as a threat or problem in Georgia – the traditional place of the ‘xxx’ was occupied by ‘Armenians’. In other words, anti-Semitism in Georgia has always been displayed in the form of Armenophobia.”
Another analyst, another conclusion: “Citizens of Georgia - representatives of the Caucasian language family, are not a uniform ethno-political community and are characterized by rather essential distinctions in the aspect of their traditions, culture, language, mentality, and, most importantly, perception of the notion ‘Homeland’,” says political analyst Garegin Gabrielyan.
“The current president of Georgia sees himself in the chronicle of national history together with the most esteemed monarchs of the past,” says Chobanyan. “He sincerely imagines himself to be the monarch of a United Georgia. It is a very important nuance which always should be taken into account - for the sake of the achievement of this purpose he is ready for everything, at the same time relying on the postulates of traditional ideology.”
Moscow-based political analyst Vigen Garsoyan adheres to another opinion concerning Saakashvili’s statement. The trust to the present Armenian authorities voiced by the Georgian leader - “Naturally, no one will agree to that!” - in his opinion recognizes the close cooperation between Yerevan and Tbilisi in regional issues.
“Just like the Georgian president, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in his turn is a partner of the United States,” says Garsoyan. “The concept of Armenia’s national security devised by Washington which is to be submitted by 2007 will become the culmination of this cooperation. The statement of Saakashvili is based on these very realities; apart from other things, Yerevan has already let Tbilisi know about its neutral position in questions of the intra-Georgian reorganization, including the situation in Javakhetia.”
As recently as on September 4, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian reiterated it. “The question of Javakhq is an internal problem of Georgia, but Armenia cannot be indifferent to the fate of its compatriots . . .”
In Garsoyan’s opinion, “the confidence of the Georgian leader that – ‘Naturally, no one will agree to that!’– is in full consonance with the statement of the Armenian minister.”
1. Still unhappy about the loss of Georgian statehood 200 years ago.
2. Expressing his nation’s anti-Semitism, masked in Armenophobia.
3. Secretly seeing a monarch when he looks in the mirror.
4. Using language as reverse psychology
On September 1, Saakashvili told a Sagarejo, Georgia audience that Moscow is putting pressure on Yerevan for Armenia to implement anti-Georgian policies.
“Russia has finally blocked the customs house in Lars. And it has blocked it not only to us, but also to neighboring Armenia which had cargoes shipped through Lars, because it tells Armenia – let’s carry out some plans together,” Georgia’s Head of State said. “Naturally, no one will agree to that, but such a policy of putting pressure on Armenia in the context of Georgia does exist.”
What exactly had caused such a reaction of the Georgian president?
“The attitude of the national Georgian elite is distinguished by its continuity,” says Armenian specialist in Georgian studies Pavel Chobanyan. “Pointing at Russia as a reason for the loss of the Georgian throne (in 1801) fully fits in the context of processes unfolding in the country. They don’t forget to mention the fact that ‘the decision about the abolition of the Georgian throne was read out in Tiflis by an Armenian, and the first deputy of the Russian czar was appointed Armenian general Lazarev. The Russian-Armenian tandem as an image of an enemy is traditionally presented by the Georgian elite as one of the mechanisms consolidating the nation.”
From the University of Jerusalem, Dr. Dan Shapira, academic head of the “Russian Project” writes: “Georgian-Christians have always felt a threat from Armenians. “xxxs have never been perceived as a threat or problem in Georgia – the traditional place of the ‘xxx’ was occupied by ‘Armenians’. In other words, anti-Semitism in Georgia has always been displayed in the form of Armenophobia.”
Another analyst, another conclusion: “Citizens of Georgia - representatives of the Caucasian language family, are not a uniform ethno-political community and are characterized by rather essential distinctions in the aspect of their traditions, culture, language, mentality, and, most importantly, perception of the notion ‘Homeland’,” says political analyst Garegin Gabrielyan.
“The current president of Georgia sees himself in the chronicle of national history together with the most esteemed monarchs of the past,” says Chobanyan. “He sincerely imagines himself to be the monarch of a United Georgia. It is a very important nuance which always should be taken into account - for the sake of the achievement of this purpose he is ready for everything, at the same time relying on the postulates of traditional ideology.”
Moscow-based political analyst Vigen Garsoyan adheres to another opinion concerning Saakashvili’s statement. The trust to the present Armenian authorities voiced by the Georgian leader - “Naturally, no one will agree to that!” - in his opinion recognizes the close cooperation between Yerevan and Tbilisi in regional issues.
“Just like the Georgian president, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in his turn is a partner of the United States,” says Garsoyan. “The concept of Armenia’s national security devised by Washington which is to be submitted by 2007 will become the culmination of this cooperation. The statement of Saakashvili is based on these very realities; apart from other things, Yerevan has already let Tbilisi know about its neutral position in questions of the intra-Georgian reorganization, including the situation in Javakhetia.”
As recently as on September 4, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian reiterated it. “The question of Javakhq is an internal problem of Georgia, but Armenia cannot be indifferent to the fate of its compatriots . . .”
In Garsoyan’s opinion, “the confidence of the Georgian leader that – ‘Naturally, no one will agree to that!’– is in full consonance with the statement of the Armenian minister.”
