Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend N.Kirskhalia / "The requirement to close Azerbaijani schools in Georgia is contrary to the Georgian legislation and norms of international law," the Director of the Center for National Education Plans and Assessments, Simon Janashiya, informed Trend .
The official of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia gave such a reaction to the statement of the Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Azerbaijanis Residing Abroad, Nazim Ibrahimov. Ibrahimov said that the Committee supports closing Azerbaijani schools in Georgia because the Azerbaijanis residing in Georgia should get education in Georgian in order to get integrated into Georgian society.
"We will assist Georgian Azerbaijanis in learning Georgian provided that they will not forget their native language," Janashiya said. He stressed that the Georgian Azerbaijanis should have the right of choice and therefore, the Azerbaijani schools in Georgia are not under threat to be closed.
Currently approximately 150 Azerbaijani schools function in Georgia where the ethnic Azerbaijanis can get education in their native language.