Azerbaijan, Baku, November 19/ Trend , corr I. Alizade/ Nasib Nasibli, member of MP group of opposition Musavat Party in the parliament says the legislative body should hold special hearings about the situation of Azerbaijanis living in Georgia.
"The Azerbaijani parliament needs to a great extent to hold hearings on the situation of Azerbaijanis living in Georgia as the life condition of our compatriots are not good," member of the MUsavar MP group said to journalists on November 19.
According to unofficial reports, nearly 500,000 Azerbaijanis live in Georgia. They are mostly populated in Kvemo-Kartli (Borchali) province.
Nasibli said he has several times initiated to discuss condition and problems of Azerbaijanis living in Georgia in the parliament. However, his proposal failed.
"At least International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties Commission of the parliament can hold such discussions," MP added.
The pressures on Azerbaijanis living in Georgia still continues. A month ago, Georgians were appointed director and deputy director of a secondary school in Qochulu village, which is totally comprised of Azerbaijanis. The Azerbaijanis in this village protested against it, Nasibli said.
"The number of Azerbaijanis living in Georgia is dwindling rapidly. There is no any progress in poor life conditions of the community there. It means that our compatriots living there are facing serous danger. Two years ago all school directors were planned to be replaced by Georgians. But Azerbaijanis prevented it by protest. They want to carry out this plan again. All these developments show that pressure on Azerbaijanis has become part of Georgia's state policy. Because a school is state-owned and it is government officials who put pressure on Azerbaijanis," Nasibli said.
MP noted that a delegation of Azerbaijani parliament should visit Georgia in order to study life conditions of our compatriots on a local level. Parliaments across the world hold hearings on various problems. But Azerbaijani parliament does not have such experience. Such hearings can be held in a closed form as well, he said.
Georgia's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolaz Natbiladze rejects pressures on Azerbaijan. "These are all issues discussed by the media. There is no fact about pressure on Azerbaijanis living in Georgia".
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