Armenians in Georgia
Armenians in Georgia ( Georgian სომხები Somchebi , Armenian Վրացահայեր Wrazahajer ) are ethnic Armenians who live in neighboring Georgia . There are currently 248,929 Armenians in Georgia, 82,586 of them in the capital Tbilisi . That is 5.7 percent of the population of Georgia. In the Samtskhe-Javakheti region , which borders Armenia, they form the majority with around 54%. In Abkhazia (see Armenians in Abkhazia ) the Armenians have made up an even more significant percentage of the population since the end of the 19th century; in 2011 it was 17.3% percent. At the beginning of the 20th century, Constantinople was considered the center of the Western Armenians and Tbilisi as the center of the Eastern Armenians. A special feature of the relationship between Armenians and Georgians is that although many Armenians live in Georgia, hardly any Georgians live in Armenia.
16th Century
Armenians began to settle in Georgia in the 16th century as they were oppressed by foreign rulers in their country and sought protection abroad. Georgia with its Christian tradition was a popular and obvious migration destination for Armenians, who were not persecuted there either nationally or religiously. In the 18th century , King Erekle II of Kartlien and Kakheti targeted several Armenian families in Lori .
19th century
In the 18th and 19th centuries, wealthy Armenian merchants, jewelers and oil industrialists invested in their businesses in Georgia and helped build cultural centers and schools. At the same time, the number of relocated Armenians increased steadily, so that at the beginning of the 19th century the number of Georgians in Tbilisi was far inferior to them. The development was favored because for Tsarist Russia there were peripheral areas in the region, the Georgian area was organizationally the Tbilisi military district, Armenia the Yerevan. Tblissi was called a cultural center of the Eastern Armenians, the "arewelahajer", or usually Russian-Armenians or "rusahajer", in contrast to Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire , which became the cultural center of the western Armenians, the "arewmedahajer", who were in that At that time they were usually called "Turkish-Armenians" "terkahajer".
In 1804 around 2000 Armenians moved from the Persian Khanate Yerevan to Tbilisi. Between 1807 and 1808, 338 Armenian families (1906 people) emigrated to Tbilisi, plus 428 (2140 people) families from Nagorno-Karabakh who settled in the Katharinenfeld , which was inhabited by Caucasian Germans . Between 1829 and 1831 the Russian government forcibly resettled around 34,000 Armenians in Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki in the Kutaisi governorate . Around 5000 had to move to the Bortschali region in Tbilisi Governorate . They came from the province of Erzurum , which was conquered by Russia in 1829, but had to be returned to the Ottoman Empire in the Peace of Adrianople . The role of the two areas for the Russian central government in the second half of the 19th century results from the organizational division into the Tbilisi and Yerevan military districts.
In 1865 there were around 122,600 Armenians in Georgia. Their number grew to 197,000 by 1897. The number of Armenians in Tbilisi rose from 46,700 to 124,900 people. 68,000 of them alone had been forcibly relocated by the Russian government. After the genocide of the Armenians between 1915 and 1917, another 100,000 Armenians settled in Georgia.
architecture
The Armenians had a significant influence on the architecture in Georgia. Tbilisi has many buildings designed by prominent Armenian architects of the past century. Many mayors and business people in Tbilisi were and are Armenians, until the present day the district of Avlabari in Tbilisi old town and the area across the Kura is the Armenian quarter. Many villas were built by authoritative Armenians, adding to some of the historic buildings in the Georgian capital. An important example of the Armenian presence is the house of Melik-Azaryants on Rustaveli Allee , one of the main streets of Tbilisi.
The domes of the Armenian Apostolic Churches can be found in all parts of the city. At the beginning of the 20th century there were 29 Armenian churches in Tbilisi. The St. Marien Norashen Church is still there as a ruin of the architectural monument built in 1701. The walls of Norashen (the meaning is new construction ) were decorated with frescoes by Hovnatan Hovnatanian, the court painter of the Georgian king Erekles II. The churches of the Armenian parishes fell into disrepair during the Soviet era or they have been used by Georgian parishes since then. At the beginning of the 21st century, only two Armenian churches are active in Tbilisi: the St. George Church in the old Armenian quarter and the Echmiadzin Church in the new part of Avlabari. Several Armenian churches in Georgia were replaced by the typical Armenian ones during and after the Soviet era Architectural idiosyncrasies liberate and serve today as a place of worship for the Georgian Orthodox or other believers.
The 1918 war
With the dissolution of Tsarist Russia, the two states Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Democratic Republic of Georgia were formed . As a result of the First World War , Russian border regions were occupied by the Ottoman Empire , Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived in Bortschali and Lori , the Javakheti region was inhabited jointly by Armenians and Georgians. After the Ottomans withdrew, the two newly formed countries claimed these historically shared areas. The armistice negotiations were conducted under British leadership. Lori came to Armenia, Javakhetia to Georgia and Borjali was administered together. The latter ultimately came with the establishment of Soviet power under the Armenian SSR.
Living together
Armenia and Georgia have a long history of cultural and political ties, dating back to the Middle Ages, when the two nations found themselves in beneficial dialogue against the Islamic empires surrounding them. There were marriages between Armenian and Georgian ruling families and mixtures across the limited territories. During the Soviet era, cooperation was promoted by the Union of Republics, and since the two states gained independence, similarities have also existed and been important. However, there have been problems in the past due to the fact that although many Armenians live in Georgia, there are hardly any Georgians in Armenia. In addition, tensions arise from the current situation in the Caucasus region, which also originate from the Soviet era.
Armenians in Soviet Georgia
After the formation of the Georgian SSR and the Armenian SSR within the Soviet Union, most of the Armenians decided to remain in this Union republic and lived a sufficiently successful life here. In the years of Soviet power, national differences were largely absent. The Soviet state policy restricted freedom of religion for both Christian peoples. As in all Soviet republics, most of the Armenian churches and cultural monuments on Georgian soil have been neglected and closed. At the end of the Soviet era, two Armenian churches remained in Tbilisi.
Armenians in the Republic of Georgia
With the declaration of Georgia's independence in 1991, the Armenians in Georgia, like its entire population, expected generally better living conditions. However, the economic and social conditions in the new state did not develop as expected. With the new statehood of Georgia, in turn, a tendency towards Georgian national pride emerged, which led to differences between ethnic Armenians and local Georgians.
Armenian language and political life
The Armenian language is suppressed in public life. Armenians called for a change from the Armenian name ending -yan to Georgian -ili . As in other successor states of the Soviet republics, the rights of the Russians and the other “Soviet” minorities were restricted. The Armenians were previously denied equal rights to work and education. As a result, ethnic Armenians were encouraged to learn the Georgian language in order to integrate into Georgian society. A return migration to Armenia began in the 1990s and, due to the Karabakh conflict there, emigration to Russia in particular, but also to Western Europe.
“Armenians in this region of Georgia should think about learning Georgian instead of how they could replace it with Armenian. Without the knowledge of Georgian Armenians in Georgia will not be able to seek senior and high government position and can not run successful businesses. "
“The Armenians in the Georgia region should think about learning Georgian instead of replacing it with Armenian. Without knowledge of Georgian, Armenians in Georgia are not able to pursue management positions in state bodies or to be successful in business life ”
In 2009, Armenians made an appeal to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan asking for support in their demands for
- more autonomy,
- the recognition of the Armenian language alongside Georgian as the official language in the areas they inhabit,
- the release of all Armenians imprisoned for political reasons,
- the admission of dual citizenship
- the restoration of control over Armenian churches and other historical monuments, and recognition and
- Registration of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a religious community requested.
religion
Armenians in Georgia essentially belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church , while the significant number of Armenian Catholics is concentrated in Samtskhe-Javakheti. The Armenians of Georgia belong to the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and are therefore ecclesiastically subordinate to the Catholic of all Armenians from Edschmidazin with their head Bishop Vazgen Mirzachanjan .
education
In the capital, Tbilisi, there are three exclusively Armenian schools, plus five schools that have Armenian-Russian or Armenian-Georgian teaching programs. Armenian language and literature are included in the curriculum at all of these schools, but there is a general complaint that Armenian history is not taught. The Armenian government has sent these schools with thousands of textbooks. However, the lack of furniture and accessories that are required for the most urgent renovation work is lamented.
media
Tbilisi was a major center of Armenian language publications. The publication of the Haratch between 1906 and 1909 by the “Armenian Revolutionary Federation”, whose editors and authors are famous names in political and literary life, deserves special mention. However, this magazine was replaced by the Russian authorities until 1918 with the magazine Horizon , which was independent of political parties.
Currently, the Armenian magazine Vrastan should be mentioned, which is published in Tbilisi in Armenian.
Organizations
There are a number of Armenian organizations and associations in Georgia among which are in particular
- the United Democratic Alliance of Javakheti
- the Armenian community in Tbilisi and
- the Armenian Cooperation Center of Georgia (ACCG)
to call.
Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti
Ethnic Armenians make up the majority of the population in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region at 54.5% . The regional "United Democratic Javakheti Alliance" calls for autonomy within Georgia.
The routes of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus natural gas pipeline run through this region, as does the planned railway line between Baku and Kars, which would bypass Armenia. This challenged the contradiction of the Armenians living here, who see it as a support for the economic isolation of Armenia.
In October 2005 there were protests by Armenians in the region. The demonstrators called for economic equality and political autonomy . The protest march was forcibly broken up by the police. In 2007, Amenians demonstrated that, according to the civil rights activists, more than 90% of the inhabitants of the region do not speak Georgian and are therefore disadvantaged in dealing with government offices.
Armenians in Abkhazia
In the controversial region of Abkhazia , which is de facto independent from Georgia , Armenians represent the third largest ethnic group after Abkhazians and just behind the Georgians. At the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Armenians primarily settled in Gagra , around Sukhumi and Gulripschi. The result was a share of 20% of the population, this influx continued in Soviet times. During the violent clashes with Georgia since 1992, the Armenians supported the Abkhaz separatists.
Armenians in Adjara
Hardly any Armenians settled in Adjara , the autonomous republic in Georgia. The 7,517 Armenians form only a minority of 2.3% of the regional population. Divided by religion, 63% of the 104,313 ethnic Georgians in the capital Batumi belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church and 30% are Muslims (about 38%) of the 393,000 at that time, i.e. ajars. According to other sources, 50% are Muslim.
literature
- G. Maisuradze: Essays on Armenian population in Georgia . Tbilisi 1999.
- Sh. Vadachkoria: Political history of Georgia . Tbilisi 2003.
- Sh. Thethvadze, O. Thethvadze: Armenians in Georgia . Tbilisi 1998.
- V. Jaoshvili: Georgia's population . Tbilisi 1996.
- Principal results of the census of the Georgian population . Tbilisi 2002.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2002 Georgia census results ( Memento from August 31, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Aris Ghazinyan: Controversy under Cupola: Attempts to defend Armenian churches in Georgia meet protests in Tbilisi. In: ArmeniaNow . December 15, 2008, accessed December 8, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Armenian Churches Face Uncertain Fate ( Memento from October 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Unequal exchange
- ↑ Antony Eastmond (London): Black Sea Greeks, Armenians, Georgians and other Caucasian peoples (PDF; 360 kB)
- ↑ Demands of the Armenians in Georgia just don't stop (16 Haziran 2006) ( Memento from March 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Demonstrative agreement
- ↑ Georgia's Armenian and Azeri Minorities ( Memento of August 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), November 22, 2006 (free registration needed to view the full report)
- ↑ Armenia: Kocharian urges Armenians in Georgia to learn Georgian . Caucaz Europenews . May 1, 2007.
- ^ Georgia's Armenian Minority Appeals To Armenian President , Radio Free Europe
- ↑ "At the press conference it was announced that the presidents had discussed many questions - about the Armenian diaspora in Georgia, ... the reconstruction of the continuous railway line through Abkhazia, ..."
- ↑ Armenians in Georgia demand their own official language
- ↑ Abkhazia Offers citizenship to Diaspora . According to IWPR . CRS No. 314, November 10, 2005.
- ↑ International Crisis Group: Abkhazia Today - Europe Report N ° 176 - September 15, 2006 ( Memento of February 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, p. 5)
- ↑ Erhard Stölting: A world power is breaking up - nationalities and religions in the USSR. Frankfurt / Main 1990, p. 236.
- ^ Detlev Wahl: Lexicon of the Peoples of Europe and the Caucasus. Rostock 1999, p. 30.
- ↑ BBC: Nowadays about half the population professes the Islamic faith