Georgia’s Azeri Population: Nothing’s Changed Since the Days of Imperial Russia and USSR

Both during the days of imperial Russia and the Soviet years, and when Georgia became independent, the life of the country’s Azeri population was never easy, said National Assembly of Azerbaijan (Milli Məclis) deputy Zahid Oruj in an interview with Day.az.

According to him, Georgia pursues a policy of discrimination against the country’s Azeri population and this policy has always received support from all leaders of independent Georgia: Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Eduard Shevardnadze, and current president Mikhail Saakashvili.

“The process of discrimination against Georgia’s Azeri community has not stopped; it’s just simply become not as obvious,” he said.

Oruj stressed that Azerbaijan has the opportunity to assist its diaspora in Georgia; however, this is the Georgian authorities’ problem. “Ensuring its citizens’ everyday worries and resolving all its problems regardless of ethnic identity is the direct responsibility of the Georgian state and the country’s leadership. Regretfully, we can’t say that such concern is noticeable.”

The Azerbaijani MP also criticized the tacit position of international human rights organizations on this issue. In Oruj’s opinion, their inaction is due to the international community’s desire to portray Georgia as an “island of democracy” in the “sea” of the Caucasus.