Georgian alphabet is our DNA, - President Saakashvili said while laying the foundation for the monument of Georgian alphabet. This is indeed very good news, nothing is to say more. And no matter how much spending is allocated for this reason form the state budget or reserve funds, this will not cause protest. Why, this is a subject for a separate discussion in another article, now after 2-weeks of abstention I would like to pose several questions to some responsible persons concerning the case with a Georgian alphabet. They said that the Georgian alphabet has no patron, but leaving aside "they said" this is a case; no person is a supporter for the Georgian alphabet! And that is why...
10 days before the declaration of President and a few days before Shashkin, Education Minister opened the Georgian language sub-faculty in Yerevan, we 15 journalists being with visit in Yerevan attended the Institute of Ancient Writings. The guide eagerly tell us about each writing presented in the museum and about the displays, As soon we were told shortly about Armenian enlightener Mesrop Mashtots, our attention was driven to the voice of a guide behind us telling to the another group of foreign tourists: "After creating the Armenian alphabet, Armenian enlightener Mesrop Mashtots created the alphabet for Albanians and Georgians."
We leaved our guide and interrupted to the conversation, maybe this was ill-mannered from the point of view of "international community", but we stopped the guide of foreign tourists and took the responsibility of telling the real facts. First of all we asked the guide about his source of information about assuming Mesrop Mashtots as a creator of Georgian alphabet. He named the fifth century writing of Armenian historian Koriun "The life and creative works of Mashtots". However it is important to note that in "the fifth century writing this notion is not actually indicated, it appears later, after several centuries in the rewritten manuscript at the backs of the book. And In the next following manuscripts it is written in the text of the book. The Armenian historian of fifth century Lazar Parfel considered Mashtots as a creator of an Armenian alphabet only, "- we argued to the guide. For the greater emphasis we cited the same Koriun, who said that Mesrop Mashtots did not speak Georgian and added to this fact the version of Armenian Mkhitar Airivanets.
Such sudden argumentation in own country in own museum did not make him inactive, and from my point of view he asked one pointless question: "Who was a creator of Georgian ancient alphabet - "Mkhedruli"?" We laughed a lot on this, and turned to foreigners telling them about the theories of the origins of Georgian history and Georgian language (by the way we mentioned as well the Armenian version with its argumentation). We as well underlined to the foreigners that the modern scientists even do not arguing about a fact that the author of Armenian alphabet, alongside with the Syrian and Greek alphabet used as a pattern the Georgian alphabet. Our enlightenment did not cause much anxiety in the museum, but the attention was attracted by loud telling and our resentment. Administration was involved in the case and many talks followed. I glanced to the guide, he patiently waited us. When asked why he "omitted" the version designated for foreigners with our case, he replied to us calmly in Georgian: "Come here for a moment", then he continued in Russian: "You know, I am from Tbilisi and this subject (he talked about Mesrop Mashtots) I do not touch at all." But for us it was evident that not because of his origins from Tbilisi he violated the rules of the museum, the deciding factor for this was our nationality, Our arguments in the museum prolonged for a while, and I am not about to talk now about this.
One more interesting news we get outside the museum from the same foreign tourists, they found us at the front of the museum and said "we were very interested with your telling and we inevitably will attend Georgia some time." We thanked them and tell about everything from reforms to the new constructions in the country. We passed them our visit cards and took photos. At this point we get one new astonishing news. The foreign tourists tell us that when negotiating with the Armenian tourist operator they planned a visit to Georgia as well but in response they were strongly warned not to take trips to Georgia as it is too risky, "and they could travel nowhere outside Tbilisi, as because of a hard criminal situation nobody would be responsible for its life."
This was a last drop in the ocean. We tried to explain them; nothing was dangerous in our country. We tell them about business simplicity in Georgia, reforms and discussed all questions important for the last period, we invited them once more to Georgia and said good bye...
We arrived to Tbilisi having no delays with Armenian Customs check points (only for 20-25 minutes), but the Georgian customers questioned us for a considerable time - Who we are, were we have been and so on...), Then in addition one customs officer joined and said: "You should better travel to Gergeti instead of Yerevan" (as if he himself never been outside Georgia nowhere and is not going to go). He cheeked every person and bags of our girls. We were checked once more, for 2 hours by another officer, this all on the background of simplified customs checks and modern equipment in our own country, but I wished much to see the simplified customs procedure, that like in TV programs, when some minister smiles and customs officer wishes him a good travel. Seems like that all this is a false, and this was painful for me. Maybe some will argue that the law stipulates such long procedure checks, but I desired to see the dream in reality. However more sad and painful news we get in Yerevan...
To turn again to the question of Georgian language I think we must to pose questions, for what we are constructing monuments for Georgian language, for what we are opening a sub-faculty of Georgian language in Yerevan ? Who is checking what is taught to pupils in Armenian schools in Georgia about the origins of Georgian alphabet and a range of different historic questions? And what about the question of Tourist Company, this question is to be asked to the most competent person in this area to Vera Qobalia, What steps are, made by tourist department in this direction?
.No doubt I am not intending to cause some confrontation discussing this subject, but what actions are taken by government?! What explanations are to be given to tourists in Batumi on the monument of Georgian language and to the speech of President - that "The Georgian alphabet is our DNA"?
What about the fate of a Georgian alphabet? Mr Shashkin after his visit in Yerevan seems like did not mention to the President about the case with alphabet, neither the Georgian embassy in Armenia did not report about the case to our Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze. Otherwise, our Georgian and Armenian scientists would study once again without any anxiety this disputing question on alphabet (however I would like to note once again that no serious scientist puts under the question this subject about origins of Georgian alphabet, and the Armenian version of Georgian alphabet origin is a comic one).
I would like to note, some Georgian historians being so active on the protest actions, and crying the "Language, Homeland and Christianity" better to write in scientific manner the explanation for Armenian colleagues.
After this letter many will say what Saakashvili is doing? But maybe it would be better to pose a question in such way - what is doing Education Minister except of own narcissism? I expect that in a several years in the Armenian Institute of Ancient Writings one new phrase will appear in the texts for guides: "Georgians in the 21 century constructed the monument for Georgian alphabet which was created for them by Mesrop Mashtots"....
GHN
Temur Chumburidze
