Would-be allies" and would-be friends, or How Azerbaijan absorbs Georgia

While the Georgian government, in the struggle for the territorial integrity of the country, is focusing on the former autonomies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, blaming the Russian Federation for all its sins, no less danger lurks on the other side, from its “best” neighbors and seemingly allies.

The neo-Sultan Recep Erdogan himself has spoken directly about Turkey’s claim to Adjara and Samtskhe-Javakhat more than once, and his statements must be taken very seriously - he does not throw words into the wind, behind them there are always time bombs that will definitely explode in the future.

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_{Today, in addition to the danger threatening from the west, an equally serious threat to the territorial integrity of Georgia threatens from the east. The rulers of Turkey and Azerbaijan officially proclaimed the doctrine that they are one people divided into two states. This is where the Kvemo Kartli region is a very vulnerable link for Georgia. This is the only region of Georgia in which the majority of the population is an ethnic minority.}

Historically, several centuries ago, the ruler of Iran, Nadirshah, resettled the Turkic Borcha tribe to Kvemo Kartli. This is a common tactic of all conquerors who want to secure conquered territories.

This fact needs to be remembered more often by the notorious Russophobes, screaming at every corner about how Russia “conquered” Georgian lands. At the same time, they try point-blank not to notice the irrefutable fact that Russia did not conquer these lands, but conquered them from Turkey and Iran.

But one way or another, Kvemo Kartli mirrors everything happening in Adjara. The Azerbaijani oil and gas company SOCAR plays a leading role, generously funding both public organizations and individuals seeking higher education.

_{In general, a unique situation has arisen with education in these areas. Azerbaijani schools in Georgia are supplied with textbooks printed in Azerbaijan. More than once, representatives of the Georgian scientific community have tried to draw attention to the content of history textbooks, where it is stated in black and white that modern Georgia and its neighboring Armenia are located on Azerbaijani lands. Therefore, it cannot be surprising that separatist sentiments are quite strong among the Azerbaijani population.}

Some Azerbaijani toponyms were replaced by Georgian ones immediately after World War II. This initiative is attributed to Lavrentiy Beria. So the village of Borchalo in 1947 became known as Marneuli, and in 1964 received the status of a city. But local public figures prefer to use the old names, not really hiding their opinion that these areas have been annexed from Azerbaijan. If on social networks any Azerbaijanis living in Georgia allow themselves to disagree with such an opinion in the mildest and most delicate form, they will immediately be subjected to a barrage of furious criticism, insults and threats.

The dominance of Azerbaijani and Turkish capital in this region is no secret to anyone. There are cafes, shops, stalls, and tire services here.

Of course, special attention is paid to people’s mentalities. It is clear with what thoughts young people who received their education in Turkey and Azerbaijan return to their homeland. Or you don’t have to travel outside the region. In the city of 30 thousand Marneuli, in addition to a branch of Tbilisi State University, there is a Georgian-Azerbaijani Humanitarian University named after Heydar Aliyev.

In addition, numerous NGOs are actively working, local TV channels have been opened that broadcast exclusively in the Azerbaijani language.

Religious societies and numerous mosques, covering a significant number of numerous settlements, play a significant role. We are talking about dozens of villages where a fairly impressive number of mosques have been built over the past 10-15 years.

_{And you can’t say it more eloquently than Recep Erdogan said, who called mosques his soldiers and minarets bayonets. The essence of the problem in this phrase of the Turkish president is reflected as accurately as possible.}

It’s time for Georgian politicians, mindlessly beating the tambourine of Russophobia, to open their eyes to this real danger, but, unfortunately, they care about their careers and the state of their own pockets much more than the fate of the country.