Interview with Dr Kakhaber Pipia, professor of history at Sukhumi State University (Georgia).
Q: As a historian from the Caucasus, what is your response to Armenian scholars who claim that Armenians are primordial inhabitants of this region?
A: There are probably no peoples in the world as close to each other as the Caucasian peoples. Historical realities form the basis of these close ties.
Throughout history the peoples of the Caucasus have striven for unity in protecting their national interests.
However, the restoration of Armenian statehood in the first part of the 20th century dealt a serious blow to the idea of a “United Caucasus” since this was in contradiction to the idea of a “United Armenia”.
The revival of this idea became a national concept for all Armenians worldwide: all territories that today are "wrongly" called Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and southeastern Russia are part of "Greater Armenia". It was from here that Armenians spread throughout the world, as far as India, the British Isles and even Scandinavia. Juggling with tales, legends of other nations, they present them as their own. This is the essence of the Armenian national ideology, the essence of Armenian historians and politicians.
As you know, there are no historical Armenian territories in the Caucasus. However, in 1918 Armenians were granted Georgian and Azerbaijani lands, but this was not enough. With the help of a geopolitical alliance with Russia, the so-called "Karabakh people" created the so-called Karabakh Khanate. Now, in southern Georgia a "Javakh people" are trying to break away from Georgia.
New Armenian ideological cadres with a deep understanding of the essence of the problem tell the Armenian diaspora in Georgia that they do not live in Georgia, but in "historic Armenia". Thus, Georgian land has now become fertile ground for the prosperity of the pseudo-homeland of Armenians.
History does not know anything about Armenian heroes fighting for the land that is now claimed by the Armenians. However, someone by the name of Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Chorene) and others like him have prepared the ideological groundwork for the future annexation of foreign territories.
Q: What role do the great geopolitical powers play in this situation?
A: Georgia and the whole South Caucasus are located in the epicentre of dominant geopolitical flux. Major geopolitical powers - the United States and Russia - are struggling to acquire geopolitical and geo-economic space in the South Caucasus, where the oil and gas of the Caspian Sea are the priorities in politics. In this struggle, Russia has lost the opportunity for its presence in the region.
However, it occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and in August 2008 officially admitted that it had occupied historic Georgian land. However, it later announced to the world that it recognized the independence of Georgian regions [Abkhazia and South Ossetia]. As a geopolitical ally of Russia in the South Caucasus, Armenia provided its bases for air attacks on Georgia during the war in August 2008. However, the Russian scenario was not realized, to Armenia's disappointment, but Georgia did not sever diplomatic relations with Armenia as it did with Russia.
Today, missiles are targeted at Tbilisi both from occupied Tskhinvali and Sukhumi and Armenia. These forces are controlled from a single centre. And in this situation, Georgia opened the Upper Lars checkpoint for Armenia. Of course, it was a friendly move on Georgia's part towards a neighboring country which has no overland access to its ally Russia. Armenia seems to be grateful. But Armenia has begun to demand more with new force - autonomy for the descendants of Armenian refugees from Turkey [who live in Javakheti], and even Javakheti's annexation to Armenia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Vashadze visited Armenia on 4 October 2010 to discuss relations between the two countries. It is not easy to accomplish complex geopolitical and military-strategic tasks, as a rule. Vashadze made it clear to the Armenian side. He said: "I do not know what Javakh is as there is no such place on a world map, and even on a map of Georgia."
Armenia was not at all happy with the Georgian minister's statement. Armenian politicians said that the "statement of the Georgian foreign minister suggests that Tbilisi does not want to recognize the existence of Javakh”.
Moreover, Armenia seeks status for so-called “Armenian churches” in Georgia. Although there are no Armenian churches in Georgia, apparently Yerevan is insisting, trying to find at least one church in Georgia that can be given this status. The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church has planned to visit Georgia to this end more than once and each time it has been made clear that Garegin II's visit would be undesirable and it has, therefore, been postponed indefinitely.
Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az
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