GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT CALLS BACK TURKS MESKHETIANS BUT NOT TO JAVAKHETI

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.06.2007 14:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With 134 votes ‘for’ and 14 ‘against’ the Georgian
parliament passed June 22 the bill "On repatriation of persons expelled
from Georgia by soviet authorities in 1940-ies". The legislation
provides for return of Turks Meskhetians to Georgia.

Democratic Front faction member Ivlian Khaindrava said it was
high time to pass the bill. "Each state should have a law on
repatriation. However there should be a law regulating the process of
stepwise return of Meskh Muslims, their adaptation in the Georgian
society and settlement sites. The most important point here is that
the issue of citizenship of the repatriates should be decided by the
Georgian parliament but not the government," he said.

For her part, Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze underscored
that the government will not create special conditions for the
repatriates.

"Georgia is not so rich. However we will do our best to ensure normal
life for the repatriates. Turks Meskhetians will settle in different
regions of Georgia but not in Samtskhe Javakheti, from where were
deported," she said, Georgian media reports.