COE COMMISSIONER CALLS ON GEORGIA TO FACILITATE RETURN OF MESKHETIAN TURKS

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 20 2007

While summing up the results of his visit to Georgia, Commissioner of
the Council of Europe for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg reminded
Tbilisi that Georgia needs to resolve the issue of the return
Meskhetian Turks.

"When entering the Council of Europe, Georgia undertook one concrete
condition concerning the Meskhetian Turks. The government of Georgia
promised that the Meskhetians, who were forced out of Georgia in the
’40s, would be given the opportunity to return to their land," the
CE Commissioner noted.

"Some Meskhetians, a small number, returned to Georgia. But the program
on Meskhetians return has not started in reality," Hammarberg stressed.

According to him, the government of Georgia prepared a bill connected
with the issue, but it was not submitted to parliament for approval.

"During my visit to Tbilisi I raised the issue that the time had come
to pass the bill and start work in that direction," the commissioner
noted.

Hammarberg pointed out that, "There is a certain fear in government
circles of Georgia that conflicts may arise between Meskhetians who
return to the country and the local population."

"The Georgian government claims that certain obstacles may be created
by the residents of the ethnic Armenian nationality with regard to
Meskhetians," he said.

The commissioner stated, "such problems cannot be ruled out, but here
political leadership must be displayed, it is necessary to inform
the local population that Meskhetians lived on this land, they were
forced to leave it and they have a full right to return and live on
this land."

While answering journalists’ questions about how the European
Commissioner evaluated the fact that Georgia had not fulfilled
obligations to the Council of Europe, Hammarberg said, "there is
no government which completely meets the required standards in the
framework of the Council of Europe."

(Black Sea Press)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress