Irakli Shikhiashvili , President of the Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo), responds to questions posed by the Union Media Center of the Armenian Community of Georgia.

(Members of the Sakrebulo are selected through a mixed electoral system. Of the 37 seats, 25 are filled through direct elections in local districts of the city. The remaining 12 members are chosen by political parties and are apportioned according to their support citywide.) 

Why aren’t there any Armenian representatives in the Sakrebulo, despite the fact that Armenians comprise 7.2% of the population of Tbilisi? Would you call this fair?

That’s a provocative question.

Nonetheless, it’s a question that reflects reality.

Has anyone prevented them from entering the Council? If I am a Georgian, does that mean that I do not defend the interests of Armenians?

If the Sakrebulo was a legislative parliament, sure, the presence of Armenians would be needed. But we aren’t a legislative body; we only have the power to approve the city budget and to set local taxes.

But no one is hindering the inclusion of any group. Any group can submit the candidacy of any majoritarian candidate. Previously, everything had to be agreed upon with one party – the National Movement.

The National Movement had its favorites; Armenian Azerbaijani and others. But I do not believe that those favorites were the favorites of their electorates. They weren’t the real representatives of those groups in whose name they were being elected. The new electoral codex now being examined by the parliament will allow all groups to propose their candidate based on a national or other qualifier.

Armenians have been living in Tbilisi since its founding more than 1,500 years ago. Armenians also resided in the ancient capital of Mtskheta.

But there aren’t any in the Sakrebulo.

They must be elected in the districts. For example, if the district is majority Armenian, they might elect a Georgian, or the opposite. In a Georgian majority district, they might elect an Armenian. What is of prime importance is what the candidate offers the community. Nationality isn’t important. The candidate could be an Armenian, a Frenchman, or an extraterrestrial.

The Sakrebulo isn’t a body that approves ethno-political decisions. Rather, it must guarantee the efficient operation of the city and all its districts.

Just 100 years ago Armenians not only were greatly represented in the Sakrebulo, but many were also elected mayor. The contribution of Armenians to the social, political and economic life of the city was significant,

Sadly, there are few today who remember all of that or take it into account. Even those former mayors of Tbilisi who were Armenian are now listed in the Sakrebulo website with Georgianized last names – Matiashvili instead of Matinyants, etc.

What, in your opinion, must be done so that residents of the city and the city itself do not lose this historical legacy that makes Tbilisi unique from other cities?

Even though this is an important issue, sadly, we don’t have the means to take on such a task. There are 130,000 residents who are at risk of not having a roof over their head. All the old Khrushchev-type buildings must be torn down. There are 10,000 homeless in Tbilisi.

These are issues that face all citizens, regardless of nationality.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we must forget our history. We can pay much greater attention to the problem in five years time, after we resolve our immediate problems of daily living.

This may sound pathetic, but I will say it anyway. I do not like Georgians who have Armenian surnames, nor do I like Armenians who have Georgian surnames. I respect those who respect their own origins, their forbearers.

The Armenian Community of Georgia organization has brought up the issue of erecting a monument to the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide with the Sakrebulo on several occasions. There has been no official response to those requests. Why should the issue be so problematic, especially if 7% of the city’s residents want such a monument?

I hope that you have though well and hard on the matter…

Tbilisi is not only the capital of Georgia. It is also the capital of the entire region. Tbilisi has always maintained relations based on the concept of love and understanding between nations.

Does anyone have the right to establish resistance cells here and, God forbid, acts of resistance.