AKHLAKALAK–Georgia (A-Info)–The Armenian Relief Society’s Javakhk organization inaugurated its offices in Javakhk Wednesday.
The ARS will organize and administer its educational–cultural–socio-economic and healthcare initiatives aimed at providing better living conditions for the people of Javakhk.
This central headquarters will also regulate the opening of ARS offices in other areas of the Javakhk region.
A two-day seminar devoted to the reforms in the education system of Georgia was held in Armenian-populated Akhalkalak at the initiative of Georgia’s education ministry and the Soros Foundation.
The possibility of loans from World Bank to the schools of Javakhk was discussed as well.
Each school is supposed to receive about $1,000 within 5-10 years–A-Info reported. The loans will be distributed through a contest.
A branch of Tbilisi State University will also open in Akhalkalak in September. At present–the works of establishing the university are under way.
A building was allocated for the newly-established university–for which the government of Georgia released $45,000. The preparatory lessons of the applicants have already begun.
The head of the first group of US military experts that arrived in Tbilisi last week downplayed allegations that his country was going to build a military base in Georgia.
"The US has no plans to set a military base in Georgia," head of the group Scott Tyne said.
He was quoted by Prime News agency as saying that the arrival of instructors and the antiterrorist training they are going to provide to Georgian special units were not linked to the regulation of the conflict between Georgia and its breakaway region of Abkhazia.
"The US supports President Shevardnadze’s position that this conflict should be regulated by peaceful means," Tyne said–adding that the US instructors–a total of 150-200–would not be interfering into the internal affairs of the country. Tyne said after concluding the training course they would return back to from where they had arrived.
In the meantime–Astamur Tania–the assistant to the president of Abkhazia–was quoted by Prime News as saying that Sukhumi intends to "take various measures of a military and political nature" to prevent Georgian troops–to be trained by US instructors–to be used against Abkhazia.
Tania refused to specify what steps Abkhazia would take–but said Sukhumi is "seriously concerned about the strengthening of the Georgian army–which is taking place as the conflict is still smoldering in the Kodori Gorge and Gali District."
Chairman of the Georgian parliament committee on nature protection Kahka Chitaya reinstated safety concerns regarding the operation of the Armenian nuclear power plant–which–he said–poses danger to the entire region because it is located in a seismic area.
Addressing his fellow lawmakers last week–he called on them to press for international guarantees for the safe operation of the Metzamor plant–located some 20 km from Yerevan.