Georgians toward Armenians

[wh00t]

Would anyone care to briefly educate me regarding Georgian animosity towards Armenians? Is it only the Javakh/Abkhazia conflict or are there other issues?

[Rubo]

Dear whoot

My wife is a Georgian Armenian and she spent her whole adult life in Tbilisi before coming to US. Through her I got to know more Georgian Armenians hence my opinions are not really mine but collective observations from these encounters. What was interesting that many G.A. I met, they already had Georgian last names and that was the strange to me and when pressed to explain I unavoidably opened the Pandora box. Armenians living in Georgia experienced all the pit falls of being second-class citizens. They could not get higher education in most cases unless they pretended to be Georgians. My wife- an excellent Artist-was rejected many times from passing the exams at the academy because of not her skills but her last name Matevosian hence she gave up and moved to Erevan and got a formal education there. My wife often told me that she had to keep quiet about her being Armenian since often it resulted unwarranted circumstances.

Tbilisi like Baku is literary built by Armenians at least anything that is worthy and beautiful. This is no nationalistic jargon but plain fact therefore I suspect Georgians do and did feel all the pitfalls, which comes with jealousy and unproductive nationalism. Once I met a real Georgian who told me with real disdain that anything bad happened to Georgians were the result of Armenians and much to my dismay that declaration was also made against the Jews in Germany. It is our destiny that as a creative people Armenians often had to deal with these kinds of narrow, hatful sentiments much the same way Armenians endured in Turkey.

I am quiet convinced that no place is our home outside Armenia. I am sure there are many exceptions, individual Georgians and Armenians making friends and so on but these examples were and are not enough to sustain the continuing strained existence of Georgian Armenians.

As a foot note Georgians collaborate well with our adversaries Azerbaijan and Turkey and they place higher tariffs on Armenian goods passing through Georgia then ether Azerbaijan or Turkey. I hope our relationship does improve but I have no illusions. Armenia will get respect and support if her strength proves her relevance.

 

Regards