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None Azerbaijanis to Demand Autonomy in Georgia: Diaspora Organization Chairman

Politics Materials 29 August 2008 14:27 (UTC +04:00)
None Azerbaijanis to Demand Autonomy in   Georgia: Diaspora Organization Chairman

Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 August / Trend corr. J.Babayeva /Alibala Askarov, Chairman of Azerbaijanis Geyrat popular movement, considers the information of Georgian Azerbaijanis demand autonomy in Georgia groundless and provocative.

"Georgian Azerbaijanis never demand for autonomy in Georgia. Sucu information is spread by non-official source and is provocative," Askarov told Trend via a telephone from Tbilisi.

Media released the information that some national minorities, which reside in Georgia, use the territorial issue after recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia.

On 26 August, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, issued a decree to recognize the independence of S.Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The council of Armenian public organizations Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli made a statement to provide Samtskhe-Javakheti and other territories populated with Armenians self-governing status.

According to Askarov, the information that Georgian Armenians demand autonomy may turn out to be right. "So far, such statements have not been made. Naturally, Armenians want to take advantage of the current situation for their own purpose," Askarov said.

The situation in Georgia is still strained and concerns Azerbaijanis in Georgia. "Azerbaijanis and other national minorities suffer as a result of the clash of interests of the two great powers," Askarov said.

According to non-official data, some 500,000 Azerbaijanis live in the Kvemo-Kartli region.

Under the statistics, about 70% populations in Georgia are Georgians, as well as 380,000 -Armenians, 350,000 - Azerbaijanis, 207,000 -Russians, 150,000- Ossetin, 100,000 -Abkhaz, 80,000- Greeks, Kurds, Udin, Avar and others.

С The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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