Few of those living in the Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda raions speak Georgian, and schooling is in Armenian. Even the textbooks are exactly the ones used in Armenia. Local youths entering university normally choose Yerevan rather than Tbilisi. That's where Javakhetian Armenians have made careers for decades. They constitute a considerable part of Armenia's military elite and are also known for their strong mathematical skills.
People are out of work here.
This remark by an elderly man selling soft drinks at a bus station sums up the economic situation in the region. Apart from the Russian base and trade, the locals live off farming and money transfers from relatives working in Russia. Three hours of electricity a day is not an incentive to launch a business. Meager pensions and public salaries have not been paid for over six months. Except for Chevron gasoline stations, little suggests that Akhalkalaki has seen a transition to a market economy.