«He who sows tares cannot squeeze the wheat with a sharp knife...»

«... for I am not come to dcall the erighteous, but sinners to frepentance....»
Матфей, 9, 14

"To do true justice makes even a dry tree green." - Shota Rustaveli wrote 800 years ago, and how appropriate for today! But... whatever for whom! "In the hands of an intelligent man, truth is the strongest weapon at all times," these words belong to Socrates! And again - whatever for whom!

The Georgian people have never lived in the jungle or according to the laws of the jungle, but many mistakes have been made during the ancient, modern and contemporary history of our nation. These mistakes have diminished, suppressed and impoverished us. Spiritually, however, we are not broken. The valuable part of Georgians, who are entrusted with the mission of saving the future of their nation, has never betrayed their homeland and their orthodox religion. And today, with God's help, we have an independent state with its own law and executive body, despite cries of ill-wishers that Georgia is a "failed" state! You are wrong, gentlemen! Georgia is a well-established state and it is governed by its president! Yes, Georgia has its own elected president! And has had one since 1991!!!

The great Vazha-Pshavela said: "Why should the bad be hostile, the good is always hostile..." And we don't run out of enemies: neighbours, internal, external enemies... The most dangerous is the internal enemy, whom one considers a brother, a close neighbour... As Ilya Chavchavadze used to say "Georgians are ruined by excessive liberalism" - and indeed so it is. Liberal by modern standards means noble, mild, Christian character, but not cowardice and slavishness! We must not be afraid of the truth, but speak it directly to our faces! We live in the twenty-first century and it is shameful to communicate with our fists! Especially when we have historical documents in front of us.

It's a pity that I have to write this article, but the pain is great and every Georgian must listen to every word, but only properly spoken and understood. The intensity of the situation was expected, but the scale was unexpected.

It started like this... No, or rather the next stage developed like this: on November 24-26, 2005 at the initiative of the Georgian Patriarchate in Tbilisi there was held the Second International Symposium under the title: "Christianity in Our Lives: Past, Present, Future". The significance of the symposium was due to its scientific and theological aspect. Here we will not touch upon the theological or scientific significance of the symposium. We are interested in one very important phenomenon - yes a phenomenon! - that has cast a shadow over the Georgian Orthodox Church as an unwavering defender of Orthodox holiness!

The point is this: a certain Mr Levon Isakhanyan presented a report at the symposium and introduced it to the public: "The Armenian Diocese in Georgia". As the reader can guess from the title, this report was not scientific in nature. On the contrary, it was an indicator of the unwavering imperial political course of Dashnak Armenia and Echmiadzin of 1918, was the last drop of indignation that filled the cup of 200 years of patience of the Georgian society! Another unconscionable accusation against our nation, containing lies and evil, which forced Ilya to take up his pen and create a masterpiece of world journalism, "The Shrieking Stones"!

Unfortunately, Georgians do not have any ambition to translate this wonderful work into the main languages of the world and distribute it to all countries. At least send it to famous universities, which also include the Georgian language in their Oriental studies curricula. Poor Georgian language and Georgian people! They have lost a lot during antiquity and throughout history after the birth of Christ due to their kind, liberal character and non-imperial politics! Many Georgians today do not even know that there is such a brilliant work as "The Shrieking Stones" and that it was written by the great Ilia! What made Ilya Chavchavadze, this wonderfully poised man, write such a heartbreaking work? - Known as the "Armenian case"! As we can see, the problem of Ilya's times is still relevant today and it should not go unnoticed!

L. Isakhanyan's report was a kind of demand, which contained a commanding form towards the Georgian Patriarchate. Yes! The Armenian Church, that is, Echmiadzin, demanded from the Georgian Patriarchate to return more than 600 (up to 650) "Armenian" churches and temples to the Armenian Church!

Where, gentlemen, are there so many Armenian churches on Georgian territory? And if indeed there are, this country is not Georgia! It is Armenia... Why do representatives of Echmiadzin forget that Georgian and Armenian churches belong to different religions and until 1801 the construction of Armenian churches on the territory of the Georgian state was prohibited? We suggest the reader to check for himself how insolent theses of Isakhanyan's report are (p.49):

"Georgia is a country in which for many centuries representatives of different nationalities and religions have lived together in a friendly and tolerant environment. It should be noted that in the process of historical development, due to geographical location and other factors, the Armenian population (?) in Georgia has always represented one of the main groups which participated in the socio-political life of the country and responded adequately to the demands of various kinds! Together with the Armenian people the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has existed in Georgia for centuries"?

According to various sources, the Armenian Holy Church is represented in Georgia as a separate diocese from the V century (what a terrible lie - D.M.)... Over the centuries, the Armenian diocese on the territory of Georgia built more than 600 buildings of spiritual significance, in particular churches, chapels, theological schools, etc.

We consider it necessary:

-define a proper status for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and diocese

(?);

-To improve the issue of freedom of religion in Georgia and regulatory legislation for religious organisations (does this exist in Armenia? - author);

-transfer to the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church the constituent churches (?) located for centuries on the territory of Georgia.

Mr Isakhanyan noted at the symposium that: "the questions and demands raised in the report are the position of the Armenian Church". It is clear what goals the Armenian Etchmiadzin political church has once again set. The above mentioned report has a prehistory, in particular: In 1995 in Yerevan the map-guidebook "Armenian churches in Georgia" was published in Armenian. This guidebook was distributed in Georgia in the summer of the same year among the Armenians and other sects living in Georgia. According to the guide-map there are 650 Armenian churches in Georgia! "Appetite comes with food", the great Ilya would probably have bitterly remarked when he saw Bolnisi Sioni, Mtskheti Jvari and Tsugrughasheni in the list of these sanctuaries. What incredible lies and accusations all of this is, we will talk about below. Now we would like to present several quotes, as our generation would say, from the "Armenian Cause".

I want to remind readers that Armenians started to occupy Georgian territories back in XII century and we will talk about this below as well.

"The Armenian case" is the Armenian idea of restoring "Greater Armenia". Its plans at all times included the appropriation of Georgian lands and the Armenianisation of the Georgian people. An important stage for this was the seizure of Orthodox churches. Historically, Orthodox Christianity was born as a sign of definition of Georgian nationality.

Armenians achieved special successes on the way of realizing the idea during the whole XIX century and the first half of the XX century.

Since 1990 again, the idea of revival of "Greater Armenia" sounded in a new way, and you know at the expense of what? At the expense of the primordial Georgian land. Naturally, the outlook is not as broad as it was in XIX and XX centuries, but... The "Armenian Cause" has played a big role in Javakheti, both in the past and today...

The newspaper Metsamor is printed in Yerevan and distributed free of charge to the villages of Akhalkalaki district. Here is what the editor of the newspaper, academician Suren Ayvazyan wrote in the newspaper: "Where do Georgians come from in Georgia? In 524 BC, the Armenian king of kings Tigran I conquered Spain (Iberia); he resettled the Iberians in the Armenian province of Virkvrastan and in the Guria region (Guria); he appointed the Armenian nakharari (grand duke) Dadiani (!) as governor".

Indeed it is interesting to have identified Georgian origins. First, Tigran ruled in the first century AD. Let us see what the academician writes further: "According to historians, the base "karti" is related to the base "Kurd". As for the Russian name of the northern province of Armenia - "Georgia", it is related to the word "loader" - a worker. This was the function of the Georgians until they oppressed and dominated the Russians". Bravo! Well done! Wonderfully invented nonsense!

"...Russians are an ancient people living on the territory of Georgia (!). They lived here in the I-III millennium BC. Later, the Georgians who came here appropriated their heritage and began to oppress the ancestral lands of the ancient tribes - the Russians and Armenians ... It is a misconception that Georgians established their kingdom, that is, the state in 1001. The Georgian state was established for the first time on May 25, 1918. According to the history of Armenia, it was born as a state in 2107 B.C.".

It is very interesting to have such an in-depth knowledge of history.

Further: "When Emperor Paul I abolished the kingdom of Georgia in 1801 (if Georgians didn't have a kingdom, how was it abolished by Paul I(?), the royal court at that time was entirely of Armenian origin. The last king - George XII was pure Armenian by father (Erekle) and mother. The Armenian language was spoken at court and the orders were issued in the same language. This is not surprising, as all the princes were of Armenian origin: Baratyan - Baratashvili, Chavchavyan - Chavchavadze, Adamyan - Javakhishvili, Sahakyan - Saakadze. The only surname of Georgian origin is Gamrekeli. By the way, appropriated by Georgians Peter Bagrationi, the hero of Borodin, is in fact Petros Hovhannesovich Bagratyan, an Armenian in body, blood and soul ...".

But.

"One of the so-called pseudo-Armenians is Ilya Chavchavyan. Here is what this traitor wrote about the Armenians: 'Whether we were in need or in joy, you felt nothing, we welcomed and sheltered you so well. But you have behaved as enemies in our homes". On what grounds did he say this? At the time 90% of the population in Tbilisi were Armenians. Then came Russians, Ossetians, Abkhazians and Kurds. Georgians made up only 1.5%. Ilya Chavchavyan considers 90% of Armenians to be the guests of 1% of Georgians.....

"... an Armenian by mother and father, Dzhugashvili Stalin, at a meeting of the Bolsheviks in Tbilisi in 1921 said: "How can Tbilisi be the capital of Georgia, when there are more Armenians living here than Georgians? This situation must be corrected and Georgians must be settled in Tbilisi. Abkhazia, Adjara, Dvakheti and Ossetia must be handed over to Georgia...".

In the same issue of the newspaper one can read that "The Knight in the Tiger Skin" was translated from Armenian into Georgian by an Armenian prince "Ashot from Rustavi". The Georgians later burnt the Armenian original and appropriated "The Knight in the Tiger's Skin"...".

"... The author of 'Suliko' was David Abrahamyan... The text of the song was translated into Georgian by the son of Armenian Prince Rostom Bagratyan, Akaki Bagratyan, who wrote under the pseudonym of Akaki Tsereteli. He liked 'Suliko' so much that he translated it into Russian...". And another thing... When Akaki Bagratyan translated "Suliko", at the same time, the Armenian painter Nikolai Pirosmanian created masterpieces, and later he became poor and, with the kindness (?) characteristic of Armenians, gave a million roses to his beloved woman ... ". (Armenian moneylender and kind?).

As for Javakheti: "Javakheti has been robbed, and robbed most shamelessly. This is a region where no Georgians live, but Georgian despotism reigns here. If not for the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki, 15 thousand Armenian families would have left here. Every Armenian should think about this, it is really worth thinking about...".

 Academician Suren Ayvazyan did not plunge so deeply into scientific conclusions and easily attached to the newspaper pages geographical maps, on which Armenia stretches from Nikopsia to Doruband, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, and on these maps Georgia simply does not exist" (I. Akhushvili (Mukhateli) - "The New Cry of Stones, or Are We Tenants?)

Any normal sane person would probably smile after reading these lines, but ... unfortunately, it's not funny! Ayvazyan's wicked folly has its roots deep in the side and for 200 years this theme has been inspired by a third force which does not really want peace in the Caucasus. Yes! The third force is trying to humiliate Georgia with the help of Armenia, as Georgia is the country that is hardest hit by the rope around its neck.

In 1966, a famous English scholar D. Leng published a book in English in London entitled Georgians. Samtskhe-Javakheti is presented in the mentioned book simply as an original, historical province of Georgia. He published a book "Armenians" 20 years later where Javakheti is presented as an ethnic territory of Armenia. Why did a scholar of such rank as Leng do such a thing? (A. Totadze - "Anti-Georgian hysteria of Armenian pseudo-scientists", University Press, Tbilisi, 2005).

What lurks behind these facts? The same - the famous "Armenian case" of the 19th century with its Judaic morality or the idea of a "Dashnak Armenian empire" of the early 20th century? Obviously, all together, only in a modified form.

To leave Isakhanyan, Ayvazyan, Karapetyan, Muradyan and others unanswered amounts to a crime. As "...the delirium of Suren Ayvazyan and his brothers has deep roots and origins... и... should be a reason to ring the bell!" (I. Akhushvili (Mukhateli), ibid).This ringing of the bell today must again sound like a century ago, when Ilia, Akaki, Dmitri Bakradze, Jakob Gogebashvili and others were ringing it, as these problems are acquiring dangerous character for our country. Just recently, during the war in Abkhazia, illegally, secretly settling on its territory, the Baghramyan battalion was created by Armenians. They killed, tortured, cut off heads of Georgian guys, who did not even know how to use arms, played with their heads. This was not enough and they were catching up with fleeing refugees in Kodori and massacring Georgians at the entrance to the gorge! On November 23rd, 1993 on a beautiful Georgian holiday - St. George's Day, it was Baghramyan's Armenian battalion that attacked villages of the Kodori Gorge - Omarishara and Sakeni! Again there was a sea of blood! Then... To their credit they slaughtered Georgian population in Gali. Why? What have we done to these people that they have so much bitterness and spite in their hearts that they do not miss a chance to kill Georgians and Georgia in dirty, dishonest and sordid ways? What are they complaining about? About the country? Yes!.. The country! The territory, the church, the history, the language and everything we hold sacred!

Let's start again! Let's answer briefly some of Mr. Isakhanyan's confounding questions:

Mr. Isakhanyan writes clearly that "the Armenian population in Georgia has always been one of the main groups in society, which has participated in the social and political life and has responded adequately to demands of all kinds." This sentence is a complete lie, gentlemen, and only someone with no knowledge of history would dare to say and write this way.

And here is why.

Since ancient times, since the VII century BC, the Armenians, later Haykyans, occupied the Alarodian country inhabited by Kartvelian tribes, a country where "honest" people lived, legends and tales about them live in the minds of the Georgian people to this day. The Haikis, whose characteristic feature was to solve various cases by nefarious and vile means, with the help of the Medes (Persians) first oppressed, then drove Alarodians from their ancestral lands and occupied their territory themselves (see F. Lenorman, H. Mospero, Buf, Raulinson). The exhausted and courageous people were forced to move northwards towards the Caucasus, towards their blood brothers, the Iberians. The Haikis tried to take everything possible from the civilized Alarodians, but could not take the main thing: a militant spirit, nobility, respect for enemies and relatives, and a folk oral culture hardened by millennia, a rich treasury of pagan culture, as evidenced by the clay plates found in Uri and Vani (we will touch on this issue in more detail below). Thus, a clear boundary line between Kartvelian tribes and Hayk people was drawn between V-IV cc.

The Chaosians were more or less related to the Arielians. Together they attacked Iberia, Colchis, Meskheti, Albania and even the strongest state of Pontus. In the I-II centuries the Haikis (Armenians) even established kinship relations with the kingdom of Pontus. While they themselves needed Mithridates, of course, they used them, but then Tigranes II did not even accept a protector to his court! The line is drawn so that Mr. Isakhanyan can be convinced that since ancient times the Georgian people have distrusted haikurs (of course, there are exceptions). In Georgia, the Armenian population has never been the main group of society, which "participated in social and political life and responded adequately to different kinds of demands". Worse still, gentlemen, the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon finally divided the close neighbours (Armenia and Iberia) and the first Armenian patriarch cursed the Georgian people.

This will also be discussed in more detail below, as despite the difficult historical fate of these two countries, Georgia and Armenia, the Armenians were still in a better position, as they converted to the Monophysite faith of Peter Knafeh. This move and the betrayal of the religion of Haykurs was evidence of the Indo-Arian (East Iranian) gene. At the court of Iranian shahs and Turkish sultans their faith was protected and acceptable, while the Georgian Orthodox faith was not. It is true that seljuk-turkish raids almost exterminated both countries, but Georgian people's bellicose spirit led to genius warrior-king David Agmashenebeli (the Builder) and it is shameful when a scholar with academic rank, it is Souren Aivazian and his circle of academic friends, does not know who David the Builder was! His biographical data and, in particular, a detailed chronicle of the Didgor War is well preserved in Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Persian and Latin.

The dedication of Bagrat IV, grandfather of David the Builder, who ruled in the previous century and took back Lore-Tashir from the Armenians, brought peace back to the country. During the reign of George II this ancient Iberian territory was recaptured. David finally annexed it in 1118, but took it from the Turks rather than Armenia.

As for the Armenian kingdom, it ceased to exist as a subjective unit in 1065 and was transformed into the Iranian Khanate. During the reign of David Agmashenebeli (the Builder), thousands of Georgians sacrificed their lives in the capture of Anis and this territory, was annexed to Georgia not as a kingdom, but as a province.

Enmity and envy towards Georgia, concealed by the haikis, has become more acute since this period. Throughout the history of Georgia there are many terrible examples of betrayal. Let us recall two of them (why Georgian historians conceal this information from the Georgian population is not clear!).

The Armenian Korganashvili gave King of Kartli Simon I into the hands of the Persians. Joseph Argutashvili (Joseph of Arguta, Longaruk), during the reign of Erekle II, to whom the king even bestowed the title of prince, resettled Armenians from Karabakh and divided between them the territory of present-day Shulaveri and the surrounding villages. The Georgian population, already depleted by the wars, was this time driven out by the Armenians. It was the local two Armenians, Mejnun and Abo, who in 1795 treacherously led Aga Mahmad-pasha to Tbilisi to ravage and put to flight Erekle II. The aim of this invasion was to cleanse Tbilisi of Georgian aristocracy, artisans and traders so that their place could be taken by the Armenians displaced from Iran and Turkey, which happened in 1828-1829 and the following years as well.

If Mr Isakhanyan meant Joseph Argutashvili as an active participant in the social and political life of the court of Erekle II, who adequately met all requirements of various kinds, this is an absolute lie. Joseph Argutashvili was a bud growing from the villainous seed of Mkhargzdeli, who was needed for espionage. On the one hand, he served the court of the Shah of Persia and reported even the minutest details of events at the court of the Georgian king; on the other, he had his sights set on the Russian Empire.  

He was so cunning and dexterous, so "flawlessly" used both empires, so that neither of them had any idea which side this, in fact, "long-armed" spy, to whom Russia "for services" granted the title and the princely family name, was working for. Since he became Dolgoruky, he arranged only Armenian affairs at the courts of both empires, which worked out very well for him...

 But the dream did not come true completely - neither with the help of Persia, nor with the help of Russia was created "Great Armenian Empire", of course, at the expense of the Georgian lands! But... Still, much was achieved: part of Trialeti, part of Kakheti (Sighnaghi, Telavi) and the territory of Javakheti was appropriated by Armenians ... (?) There are many historical sources, comparative analysis of which can easily reveal authenticity. If Erekle did settle Armenian families (but not so many that there was any change in the political orientation of the royal court), it was out of pity. After the betrayal of Abo and Majnun (nothing is hidden), Argutashvili's traitorous ideology became apparent and the Georgian aristocracy disrespected him.

What century did Mr. Isakhanyan mean (we can only guess) when "the Armenian population represented one of the main groups of society in Georgia, which participated in the social and political life of the country and adequately met demands of various kinds"? The Armenian population increased in the nineteenth century. Ilya replied to Artsrun with a brilliant work "Shouting Stones". But we still need to remind the Georgian society of the historical facts of Judaism or the Armenian case of the nineteenth century.

(to be continued)

David Maisuradze

Master of Political Science