Armenian students studying at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) have found themselves in unequal conditions compared to Azerbaijani students of the same course. The US Embassy has stopped funding the education and accommodation of Armenian students in Georgia, while maintaining scholarships for students from Azerbaijan. This was stated by the Armenian students of GIPA in their appeal.
The statement, in particular, says:
“For 20 years, students from Armenia and Azerbaijan have been selected and sent to Georgia by the respective US embassies to participate in this program. For the academic year 2024-2026, the US government provided scholarships only for the fall semester. However, starting with the spring semester, it became clear that funding for Armenian students was stopped, while for Azerbaijani students it continued.”
Because of this injustice, students from Armenia found themselves in a difficult situation both physically and mentally. In order to participate in the program, they gave up their jobs, moved to another country – Georgia – and planned to devote the next two years to studying. Having lost their scholarship, they were left in a foreign country without housing and tuition, unable to continue an important educational process.
This also causes psychological suffering, because the difference in approach between Armenian and Azerbaijani students is obvious. Armenian participants in the program regard this as a manifestation of political discrimination by the US government towards Armenia, which also creates a difficult atmosphere in the educational environment.
On April 23, the students sent an official letter to the US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Քվին, but more than a month has passed and they have not received any response. Such silence is puzzling, since any official appeal – positive or negative – should be responded to.
The US Embassy, which itself selected the students and sent them to Georgia by signing an agreement with the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, has remained silent about the termination of the program for Armenian students. Moreover, they learned about the termination of funding not from the Embassy, but from the leadership of the Institute. At the same time, the same program continues for Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani students continue to receive financial support.
This fact makes Armenian students ask the following questions:
Does this indicate a biased approach within the framework of US foreign policy?
Why are students from Armenia deprived of the same opportunities that remain available to students from a neighboring state?
Why are the rights and expectations of a group of young people who have already begun their studies, relying on the guarantees provided by the United States, being ignored?
Students selected by the US Embassy in Armenia and who spent one semester in Georgia with US funding are demanding an official explanation from the Embassy, a review of the discriminatory decision, and the restoration of their scholarships to ensure equal opportunities for Armenian and Azerbaijani students studying in the same program.