"evropuli qartia saqarTvelo "European Charter for Regional or ...

authors, Armenian and Azeri languages should be granted the status of a
regional or minority language (p. 35); in addition, provisions stipulated
in Part II of the "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages"
should be applied to "non-territorial languages" – Russian, Greek, Hebrew,
Kurdish/Yezidi, Ukrainian, Chechen/Kist, Assyrian, Avarian 241
as
well as "unwritten languages": Megrelian-Laz and Svan (pp. 36-37).
We would like to note once more that such qualifications are
based on the Soviet tradition of description of Georgia’s linguistic situation
and inadequate lists of "Georgia’s minority languages" that are
widely accepted in the international network being under the influence
of the above mentioned tradition; see, for instance, according to the material
on the websites of the World’s virtual history and the European
Minority Languages242
minority languages in Georgia are as follows: 1.
Chechen; 2. Tsova-Tush; 3. Bezhta, Hunzib; 4. Udi; 5. Azeri; 6. Armenian;
7. Laz i.e. Chan; 8. Megrelian; 9. Abkhazian; 10 Svan; 11. Ossetian
243 . Cf. also: according to the qualifications by Arthur Tsutsiev, Megrels,
Acharans, Svans… are foreign ethnic groups ethnic
groups 244
.
Qualitatively similar though more reserved position is formulated
245
in Jonathan Wheatley’s official report published in June, 2009 in
resentative in language policy field in the Council of Europe. For another work by
Wicherkiewicz see:
http://www.ru.lv/index.php?lang=lv&p=4&p2=401&pkonf=read&pkonfid=0004
241
In census materials it would be better to have the Georgian term for Avars which is
Khundz (cf.: Khundz language).
242
http://www.armazi.com/georgian/unicode/the_kartvelian_languages.htm and
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/saoghal/mion-chanain/en/
243
The author of this qualification is P. J. Hillery who spent nine years (1996-2004) in
order to arrive at such conclusion. Similarly, Adrian Brisku, the author of the website on
Georgia, spent several years in Georgia (ix. http://vlib.iue.it/history/asia/georgia.html).
244
“Atlas of Ethnopolitical History of Caucasus”, 1774-2004.
245
Cf.: Jonathan Wheatley - RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: January
2006 – February 2006: European Centre for Minority Issues, Regional Office,
Tbilisi, GEORGIA. Conducted a feasibility study on the possibility of granting local
administrative status to minority languages in Georgia in the context of Georgia’s recent
ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities and the planned ratification of the European Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages.
204