The versions of the sides about the events taken place are contradictory. The Georgians say the Armenians dissatisfied with the fact that their team was loosing the match, started the clash. However, we know that it started right the moment when the Armenians were winning. It is not important, who started the aggression. The most important are the reasons that do not allow the neighbors to live in peace.
Internal troops were located in Tsalka on Tuesday. The same day about 1000 Ajarians and Swans went to Tbilisi and made a protest action in front of the State Chancery Office claiming to meet with President Sahakashvili. They were received by the Secretary of the National Security Council Vano Merabishvili who assured them that the authorities will prevent any other possibility of such clashes. So, the Georgian authorities heard one side of the conflict while the other side feels itself infringed. Armenians, which are the majority of region’s population, have only few representatives in the local administration. There is only one MP from Tsalka. The Azeris living in the Marneuli region of Georgia have their representatives in almost all the structures of the local authority. It is difficult to understand the motives of such discrimination towards Armenians.
The latest events taken place in Tsalka are the direct result of the policy conducted in the beginning of 90ies by Zviad Gamsakhurdia who started to populate the regions with Ajarians and Svans. Evidently, the aim was to change the ethnic structure of the population. The religious aspects were not taken into account while the majority of the Ajarians follows Islam which can become a dangerous factor during such conflicts.
If in Tbilisi they believe that by introducing troops it will become possible to solve the problem, they evidently are wrong. The tensions will not disappear until exist the reasons that make Armenians feel themselves humiliated. And if the competent authorities want to establish stability in this region populated with almost 10 ethnic groups, they have to work in this direction.
