MESKHETIAN TURKS ARE RETURNING TO GEORGIA, BUT NOT TO JAVAKHK

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.04.2006 GMT+04:00

Georgian government has initiated the repatriation of people whose
ancestors were deported for supporting Turkish invasion.

The visit of Georgian state minister for conflicts resolution
Georgy Khaindrava to Ankara has drawn to an end. During the visit
Khaindrava discussed the issue of returning Meskhetian Turks who
were once deported from Samtskhe Javekhetia. It is worth reminding
that recently Georgian President Michael Saakashvili gave an order
to start the repatriation process during the coming few weeks.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is no doubt that the efforts of official
Tbilisi are for the beginning aimed at showing activity towards
solving the Turks’ repatriation problem. Up to now the issue concerns
the repatriation of only six families. But it is quite possible that
external forces interested in destabilizing situation in the region
might make use of the careless order of the Georgian President.

Currently Azerbaijan and Turkey are creating funds for organizing
mass relocation of Turks to the Armenian-populated regions of Samtskhe
Javakhetia.

Azeri journalists write that the settlement of Turks in Javakhk is
of great importance for Azerbaijan, since it will allow to weaken
the Armenian factor in the strategic region and strengthening Tusk’
and Azeris’ position, it will create a Turkic region, separating
Georgia from Armenia and Iran. Ankara and Baku openly speculate
with the difficulties of official Tbilisi, heavily influenced by the
European Council which yet in 1999 obliged Georgia to repatriate Turks.

However, it is well known that in reality the number of Meskhetian
Turks wishing to move to Georgia voluntarily is not so large. In 1944
around 94000 Turks were deported from Georgia to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
and Kyrgizia. The majority of deported people were assimilated in Asia
because of religious, language and cultural commonness. Thus, today the
overall number of Meskhetian Turks in the world cannot be more than
60-70 thousands. Meanwhile, Baku and Ankara speak about 600 thousand
Turks wishing to return to Samtskhe Javakhetia. This is an open
provocation also aimed at influencing Georgian political leadership.

Azeris principally call Meskhetian Turks “Akhaltsikhe Turks”, whereas
it is known that before deportation there were not many Turks in
Akhaltsikhe and other Armenian populated regions. Akhaltsikhe Turks
mainly lived in the northern regions of Samtskhe Djavakhetia, which
was not populated by Armenians. For example it is known that there
were only 44 Turkish families in Akhalkalaki region. Thus, it is quite
easy to prove that the before the deportation of Turks, the number of
Armenians in Javakhk was more than it is now. It is easy to understand
Azeri propaganda. They are doing everything possible to underline
that Turks have to return to Armenian populated regions. Georgian
authorities are on one hand interested in dissolving Armenians in
the representatives of other ethnic groups. This can be proved by the
fact that the Armenian populated regions were populated by Svans and
Ajars. But at the same time, Georgian rulers cannot but realize the
explosiveness of the situation in case of the inevitable conflict
between native Armenians and Turks whom they will try to settle
in Javakhk.

This is why Michael Saakashvili and Georgy Khaindrava never
promise that repatriated Turks will be settled exactly in Samtskhe
Javakhetia. Obligations taken by Georgia before the European Council
do not suppose territorial restrictions.

The Soviet government’s decision made in 1944 can easily be
understood. It was made with an aim to improve the security of state
border, since Meskhetian Turks actively cooperated with the agents
of Fascist Germany and prepared grounds for Turkish invasion.

Georgians do not forget that. This is why not all of them welcome
Saakashvili’s decision. The late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Jvnaia
never concealed that taking the obligation on the repatriation of
Meskhetian Turks was a mistake. He repeatedly announced that his
government did not consider it possible to realize the repatriation
due to a number of reasons connected with the national security
of Georgia. Similar announcements were made also by other members
of Jvania’s team who are still in power. One of them was state
minister Georgy Baramidze who said: “Georgia is not able to fulfill
the obligation to repatriate Meskhetian Turks. Mass repatriation may
bring to the breach of stability in the region and create new grounds
for international tension”.

However, today when Baku and Ankara have found mechanisms of influence,
the top political leadership of Georgia, Baramidze and his associates
keep silence…

“PanARMENIAN.Net” analytical department

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress