ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 27, 2006 Thursday 07:26 AM EST

Georgia ready to accommodate deported Meskhetian Turks

by Tengiz Pachkoria

Tbilisi is ready to welcome back and accommodate in Georgia
Meskhetian Muslims, who were deported by the Soviet authorities from
southern Georgia to Central Asia, Georgian State Minister Georgy
Khaindrava said on Thursday.

He heads the state commission for repatriation of the population
deported by the Soviet authorities in the 1940s.

“We will take into account the Meskhetian Muslims’ traditional
pursuit – agriculture – and we are ready to settle them in rural
areas in eastern and western Georgia,” he said at an international
conference on repatriation of Meskhetian Muslims to Georgia.

“At this stage for certain reasons their return to Mesheti is not on
the agenda,” he said.

In some regions of southern Georgia there are Armenian enclaves and
people there are worried the return of Muslims may cause tensions in
the region.

“Georgia will be unable to properly accommodate the repatriated on
its own,” Khaindrava said.

He expressed the hope that “some international organizations and the
countries where Meskhetian Muslims currently reside will help
Georgia.”

Taking part in the two-day conference are representatives of the
UNDP, the European Centre for Minority Issues, and non-govermental
organizations of Meskhetian Muslims residing in Russia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Ukraine.

Almost 300,000 Meskhetian Muslims reside in these countries,
including 60,000 in Russia.

Georgia as a member of the Council of Europe pledged to settle the
issue of repatriation of Meskhetian Muslims by 2011. Around 40,000
Meskhetian Muslims want to resettle to Georgia.