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

2.3. Linguistic Situation in Modern Georgia
2.3.1. State Official Language/Languages and its Local Carieties
2.3.1.1. A State Language as a Nation-wide Language and a
Problem of Integration. According to the historical sources, the Georgian
literary language is a state language in Georgia from the 3 rd
century
BCE until the modern-day period, at the same time the Georgian literary
language is continuously used as a language of liturgy.
During the period when Georgia was occupied by the Russian
empire the language of the empire mainly served as a state language;
during the same period the Russian language was established as a
means of communication with old and new migrants settled in Georgia.
371
The process of de-occupation of Georgia has started ; therefore, hopefully,
soon the time will come when Georgian language – the state language
of Georgia will serve as a tool of communication between the
Georgian citizens of different ethnic origins 372
.
It is noteworthy that the integration problem of Georgian citizens
of Armenian and Azeri ethnic origin is adequately analyzed by Jonathan
Wheatley; here is one of his statements:"the second main challenge
that Georgia would face were it to implement the ECRML: how
to promote the use of regional or minority languages in public life without
undermining Georgian as the state language or impeding the integration
of national minorities into Georgian public life by discouraging
them from learning Georgian. Here the emphasis is on those minorities
that live in compact settlements and are generally unable to speak Georgian,
in other words the Armenian minority in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda
districts (Javakheti), the Azeri minority in Kvemo Kartli and the
Ossetian minority in the former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia".
371 After the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008 the occupant status of the Georgiabased
Russian troops was officially restored (the same status was assigned to them by
the Georgian government on October 15, 1991).
372 In this regard for the interesting discussion see metropolitan Anania Japaridze, History
of Georgian Apostolic Church, vol. I-IV, Tbilisi, 1976-2003; metropolitan Anania
(Japaridze): Church – Consolidating the Georgian Regions, materials of the scientific
conference organized by the Georgian Patriarchate and Konrad-Adenauer-
Foundation, Tbilisi, 2008.
313