Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / The Musavat Party's MPs, who paid a visit to Georgia, reported during the 28 June press conference that the names of Azerbaijani villages, mainly in the densely-populated Kvemo-Kartly (Borchali) regions would be exchanged for Georgian names.
MP Nasib Nasibli, who represents the Musavat Party at the Azerbaijani Parliament, noted that the MPs held eight meetings focusing on the problems facing Azerbaijanis residing in Georgia, during their visit to Tbilisi and Takhle, Sadakhli, Garayazi and other regions of Borchali. The main complaint of the population was due to the change of Azerbaijani village names to Georgian ones.
All Georgian schools will teach in the Georgian and Abkhaz languages by 2010. In addition, 117 Azerbaijani schools of 167 were closed. Fifty more schools are expected to be closed by the end of 2007.
According to MP Iltizam Akbarli, Georgian Azerbaijanis face additional problems when it comes to applying for admission to Azerbaijani Universities as they don't have sufficient time in which to send their documents.
"Azerbaijani school graduates, residing in Georgia, cannot submit their documents to Baku in order to pass exams. The admission of documents in Azerbaijan will end on 5 July, and the Azerbaijani school graduates residing in Georgia will only receive their diplomas on 2 and 3 July," Akbarli said.
The Azerbaijani population of Georgia has no gas and light problems. The Georgian government provides all possibilities for democratic development of the country. However, discrimination of Azerbaijanis on the national scale in Georgia has been observed, the MP said.