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

number: 170000). The old Russian Encyclopedia does not acknowledge
the Ossetian settlements in Georgia 394 .
Cf.: Since the 17 th century the small groups of the Ossetians have
moved to Shida Kartli (Inner Kartli) – Southern slope of the Caucasus,
though the compact Ossetian settlements emerge only during the last
one hundred years. At present, the Ossetians compactly reside in the
Tskhinvali region where the "South Ossetian Autonomous District" was
formed by the Russian Bokshevik empire based on Decree dated April
20, 1922 (note: according to the officials of the Russian empire, none of
the ethnic Ossetians resided in Tskhinvali prior to the 20 th century). The
issue of protection of the Ossetian language heavily depends on the
Russian-Georgian conflict resolution in the Tskhinvali region and on
administrative division.
According to Kartlis Tskhovreba ("Life of Kartli"), the Jews
who fled from Israel were provided shelter in Georgia in the 6 th
century
BCE. Today a small community of Jews lives in Georgia; they have no
command of Hebrew. This as well as other ethnic groups have certain
role in the history of the Georgian state and culture. Several centuries
ago the Georgian authorities always cared for cultures of small minority
groups.
We believe that special attention should be paid to the native language
of a small community of Udi people.
The Udis are regarded as descendants of historical Albanians.
The autochthonous population of Azerbaijan – the Udis – moved from
Vartashen (Oghuz) to Georgia in 1920-1922: they settled in Kvareli re-
395
gion . Like Abkhazians, Udis are under threat of losing their linguistic-cultural
identity. Mamuli Neshumashvili 396
, the president of the association
"Udi" does not complain about any national minority related
394 On the Ossetian settlement in Georgia, see. R. Topchishvili, Georgian-Ossetian
Ethno-Historical Essays, 2006; R. Topchishvili, The Area of Initial Settlements of Alans
– the Ancestors of Ossetians, Tbilisi, 2008.
395
In honour of Zinobi Silikashvili – who initiated settlement in Georgia the Udis
named their village as Zinobiani; see in detail in R. Topchishvili, Ethnography of the
Peoples of Caucasus, Tbilisi, 2007, p. 282.
396
According to him, Kakheti region where the Udis reside is a classic case of tolerance
and integration.
(http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=article&id=772&lang=ge).
323