Azerbaijanis in Georgia Complain of Discrimination

The public association Borchali held a roundtable on Azerbaijani migration from Georgia to Azerbaijan.

The Chairman of the entity Zalimkhan Mammadli, stated that this issue is serious. In particular, Georgian Azerbaijanis experience serious problems in finding residence, citizenship and employment.

    There are problems if one spouse is a citizen of Georgia. The established laws are not respected by the officials, he said. Thus, a person who has lived in Azerbaijan for five years may obtain citizenship, but this is not the reality. After a long ordeal officials give permission to stay in the country for another five years.

    It seems that officials fear mass migration of Azerbaijanis from Georgia.

    There is no difference between aliens and Azeris from Georgia; both of them are given permission to stay in the country for 2-3 months.

    In Georgia, the matter is settled by the law on fellow citizens. Azerbaijan has to adopt a similar law, said Mammadli.

    The panelists considered the fines of AZN 300-400 for failing to register as unreasonable, along with the state fee of 1,000 manat for migrant workers.

    All this puts Azerbaijanis from Georgia in a difficult position. The speakers urged Baku to assist.  It was proposed to improve legislation on migration and to make it an exception for Azerbaijanis who live abroad to stay in Azerbaijan. -05C04-