Study Visit to Javakheti
April 11-12, 2011
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International infrastructural projects:
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Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad
 Kartsakhi natural reserve (Supported by German Government)
 Road construction (Millenium Challenge Corporation)
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State infrastructural projects:
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Road construction and rehabilitation
Water supplies and sewage systems’ construction and rehabilitation
Irrigation systems’ rehabilitation
Gasification (State program on 2008-2013)
Construction of hydroelectric stations (this spheres has serious potential
for development based on the specifics of the landscape)
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National programs
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Rural infrastructure development support
 Agribusiness development program (is a plan for future)
 School rehabilitation
 Hospitals’ rehabilitation and construction
Challenges: though the government implements policies on development of
healthcare system in the region, to attract qualified personnel is a great problem.
This is also connected with the fact that the salary of healthcare workers in the
region is too low to attract their interest.
Gasification is in process apart from the city of Akhalkalaki only 3 villages in the
region are provided with gas, as for Ninotsminda both the city and the region are
not fully provided with gas.
The irrigation system is a major problem for the region as around 75-80% of the
arable land is not irrigated and around 30 % of the lands is not worked/cultivated
at all.
Agricultural sector being the most important for the region needs to be developed
particularly in spheres of product processing industry, and potato storing.
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Municipal projects
 School
rehabilitation by the Ministry of Education and
Science (partly from the municipal budgets)
 Kindergartens
 Cultural centers
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Private investments
 Kindergartens
 Rehabilitation of
cultural heritage monuments
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Business environment:
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Legal framework for conducting business had been improved
Infrastructural projects provide access to Georgian markets for local
goods
 Local and foreign investments in agriculture and light industry
Challenges:
 Lack of financial resources to stimulate local entrepreneurship
 Lack of professional skills and absence of centers for professional
education
 Armenian custom and other legislative regulations create obstacles for
the import/export of goods to and from Armenia
Note: Privatization of the land plots across the region is not implemented
yet
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Migration trends
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Migration had been reduced
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External factors:
Influence of Georgian-Russian relations
Influence of Armenian customs regulations
Internal factors:
Incentives to conduct economic activities in the region increased
Development of infrastructure increased employment opportunities
(Many officials of the Local governments and state bodies both in
the Akhalkalaki and in the Ninotsminda have graduated from the
Kutaisi School of Public Administration after Zurab Zhvania)
Seasonal migration had been occurred
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Investments from Armenia:
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The tax reform for SMEs in Georgia and negative tax
environment in Armenia attract Armenian businessman to invest
in Georgia in general and in the region particularly
Light industries (Gyumri beer factory to open in Akhalkalaki)
Agriculture
Trade relations:
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Livestock
Agricultural goods
Note: Georgian and Armenian customs regulations are considered to hinder
cross-border trade relations for Javakheti communities. Synchronization of
tax legislations in context of European integration might solve this issue
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Implementation of state language programs:
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Methodology and teaching materials of bilingual education for public
schools had been elaborated;
National accession exams to the universities are conducted in minority
languages.
Trainings for local teachers are available at Ministry of Education and
Science local Resource Centers;
One year state language program for minority students had been launched
at the state universities (“4+1” presidential program)
Challenges: scarcity of qualified human resources affect overall impact of the
government policies on state language. Lack of professionals that can
synchronize Georgian and Armenian texts influence the quality of
educational material (this can be a field for bilateral cooperation on state
and CS levels).
The quality of teaching in Armenian is low as there is no control over the quality
of education due to the lack of professionals. (ex. There are many mistakes
in the exam papers in Armenian, no school Olympiads for Armenian
disciplines, etc.)
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Establishment of Language Houses (Ministry of
Education and Science):
Various groups of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda communities are taught
state language courses:
 Public officials
 Pupils
 Students
Challenges: due to the scarcity of human resources the Language
Houses are not able to provide its services to all interested parties.
There is low (although growing) interest from minorities in studying
Georgian language.
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Educational projects led by NGOs:
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Variety of services (including seminars and vocational trainings) for
school teachers are provided
 Methodologies on bilingual and multilingual education are disseminated
 Civic education courses are designed and implemented
Challenges: NGOs are depended on international donor assistance that is
why impact of the projects is defined by regularity of the relevant
activities.
The local higher educational institutions, both branches of Georgian and
Armenian Universities do not have good quality.
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Public Defender’s Office (PDO) is established in
Samtskhe-Javakheti region (Akhalkalaki)
Functions of the PDO regional office are as follows:
 Collection of information on state of Human Rights in the region
 No appeals to the PDO representative in Akhalakalaki was ever
received regarding violations of rights on ethnic ground
 lection and transmission of the appeals to the Public Defender’s Office
in Tbilisi
 Civic Education (including translation of human rights documents into
Armenian)
 The material on human rights is mainly in Georgian and people do not
have the opportunity to receive information in Armenian so that they
could know their rights
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Projects on youth and culture implemented by NGOs:
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Civic education projects
Professional development projects for youth
 Youth mobilization projects for community development
 Cultural heritage popularization
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State programs on youth and culture
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Construction and rehabilitation of libraries, sports clubs, music and arts
schools, cultural centers
 Support of folk groups
 Organization of folk festivals
Challenges: maintenance of cultural heritage monuments is not a subject of policies of
the relevant state institutions. The status of religious organizations other than
Georgian-Orthodox church is a legislative issue. The cultural heritage is being
reconstructed by means of local communities or those living abroad.
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TV channels:
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ATV12
Parvana TV
Areg/Javahk TV
Newspapers:
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Southern Gates (bilingual)
Vrastan
Challenges:
 underdevelopment of advertising market in the region affect sustainability of
the media organizations.
 Local communities are tended to be more interested in Armenian and
Georgian national media rather than local media outlets.
 No internet media no radio available in the region.
 Although there are no problems in receiving information from local
municipalities, the police is less cooperative.
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Most part of civil activities in the region are carried out by
Tbilisi-based NGOs
Most part of local NGOs are providing their services in
education (civic education and state language programs)
Some local NGOs seem to be proactive in period prior to
elections only
Cooperation between NGO sector and local government is
not well structured
Local NGOs have close cooperation with local media
organizations
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The withdrawal of Russian military base from the region is
negative for the local population
The repopulation of Muslim Meskhetians to the region
scares the Armenian population
Armenians in Javakheti are separatists and are against
integration
Armenia is supporting separatist moods in the region
These statements are caused by lack of circulation of unmediated
and adequate information both with Armenia and with Tbilisi
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To be worked out together in Tbilisi