On September 25, 2023, the pro-government Facebook page “Leader 41” published a claim that about 40,000 citizens of Armenia who were deported from Karabakh will be resettled in the houses of Georgian citizens in occupied Abkhazia. According to the page, Armenian lobbyists and the administration of the so-called president of Abkhazia are behind the initiative. Leader 41’s PR manager, David Tordia, published the information on his Facebook page.
The claim about the alleged plans to resettle the Armenians from Karabakh in the occupied territory of Georgia, in Abkhazia, is false. No similar statement regarding migrants was made either by the government of Armenia or the so-called President of occupied Abkhazia. The Embassy of Armenia in Georgia denies information on the resettlement of citizens outside the country.
In order to verify the information, “Myth Detector” contacted the Embassy of Armenia in Georgia. On September 26, a statement was published on the official Facebook page of the embassy, in which they denied that the resettlement of ethnic Armenians deported from Karabakh outside the country is being discussed, and they called the spread information “cheap speculation.”
“In the Georgian domain of social networks, false information is circulating about the possible resettlement intentions of the Armenians who were moved to Armenia as a result of Azerbaijan’s latest military attack on Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian Embassy in Georgia denies such fake news and condemns their spread and cheap speculations on the topic, especially at this difficult time for Nagorno Karabakh and the Armenian people.” – reads the statement.
The claim about the alleged plans to settle people from Karabakh to Abkhazia was spread in 2022 as well. In November, the issue was raised by the so-called Secretary of the Security Council of occupied Abkhazia, Sergey Shamba. According to Shamba, fake information about the settlement of 50,000 ethnic Armenians in Abkhazia was spread by the Georgian special services in order to “destroy their internal unity.”
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Capitulation of Karabakh
On September 19, Azerbaijan announced that it was “starting anti-terrorist measures” in Nagorno-Karabakh and bombed the area. The next day, the ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh agreed to the ceasefire proposal. About 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in Nagorno-Karabakh – according to Azerbaijan, they want to reintegrate them as “equal citizens.” However, after the capitulation, the Armenian government warned the population that if they stayed, they might be at risk of ethnic cleansing.
According to Nikol Pashinyan, approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the region should be given the opportunity to stay in their homes in “dignified and safe conditions.” However, according to his own words, Armenia has started preparations to receive citizens from Karabakh and can receive up to 40,000 families.
The first group of citizens, 2,906 people, arrived in Armenia from Karabakh on September 24. About 1,000 of the registered people arrived at the place of residence chosen by them, and 1,100 people were given a place to live by the government.
About the Source
“Leader 41” is a Facebook page supporting the ruling “Georgian Dream” party. The page has repeatedly spread posts containing false information and fabricated quotes. David Tordia’s personal page states that he works for “Leader 41”.
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