TURKEY AND GEORGIA ARE THE PARTIES INTERESTED IN WEAKENING OF THE ARMENIAN INFLUENCE IN JAVAKH
PanARMENIAN.Net
23.06.2007 GMT+04:00
The return of the Meskhetian Turks becomes a problem threatening
Armenia’s security, for the Turkish ring is almost getting tightened
around Armenia.
In its first reading the Georgian Parliament passed the bill about
the repatriation of Meskhetians (Meskhs), having lived in the South
of Georgia and having been resettled in the republics of the Middle
Asia in the middle of last century. Georgia starts to realize one of
its major responsibilities to Council of Europe. According to these
responsibilities the Meskhetian Turks are supposed to be completely
repatriated by 2016.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the bill those who are eager to return
to Georgia must submit the relevant documents to the Embassy of Georgia
in the countries of their current residence by January 1, 2009. The
would-be citizen of Georgia is obliged to reject the citizenship of
any other country, as well as to pass a test on the knowledge of the
Georgian Language, History and Constitution.
Today there are only 700 Meskhs living in Georgia.
According to some assessments, the overall Meskhi population living
on the territory of former USSR is about 260-280 people, and from
300.000 up to 750.000 living around the whole world. The origins of
the Meskhetian Turks are extremely complicated and have two principle
versions existing. According to the first – pro Turkish version,
the 80% of them are descendant of ethnic Turks, and the 20% are
descendants of native Georgians and Armenians (the Hamshenis; also
known as Khemshils), who have adopted Islam in XVII-XVIII centuries
and have changed their language. There is also the pro-Georgian
version, which says that most of the Meskhetian Turks are descendants
of Meskhetian Georgians, with a little touch of ethnic Turks and
Azerbaijanis, as well as Armenian speaking Khemshils. The territory of
historical Meskheti corresponds with the three regions in Georgia – the
region of Adigeni, Akhaltsikhe, and Aspindza, included in the region
of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and with a certain region in Turkey. A small
group of Meskhetians lived in the East of Ajaria and the North-East
of the modern Turkey.
For the Armenians of Javakh the law on repatriation of the Meskhs is
a reasonable threat and is fraught with rather negative outcomes. And
though the speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze assures
that the repatriates will be settled around the whole territory of
Georgia, a part of them, and most likely the largest part, will be
settled in Javakh, and this is of great interest first of all to
Turkey and Azerbaijan.
If the Meskhetians (Meskhs) are settled in Akhaltsikhe, the
demographic situation, which will be in Ankara’s hands, will change
very soon. In Turkey the number of Meskhetian Turks who are willing
to return is rather large, and the presence of the very Meskhetian
Turks will allow Turkey to hold the power over the region. Moreover,
Samtskhe-Javakheti province of Georgia is strategically of great
significance to Turkey, and according to one of the scenarios
allocation of Turkish military base instead of the Russian one
is anticipated. The Armenians from Javakh cannot stay indifferent
towards the issue, as they are well-aware of what such neighborhood
may lead to. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum gas pipeline go through Javakh,
and Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad construction is also supposed to be
carried out here.
In this regard it is better to have a more obedient and quiet
nation living by, than the Armenians and even the Georgians on this
territory. It should particularly be underlined that in this issue
Turkey’s and Georgia’s opinions somehow coincide with each other,
as both countries are the parties interested in weakening of the
Armenian influence in Samtskhe-Javakheti.
However, Georgia doesn’t hurry to resettle the Meskhetian Turks in
this region. Tbilisi’s approach stands out with the fact that first
of all Meskhetians are regarded as Turkicized Georgians, which serves
as an attempt to ovoid the issue of the national minorities, which
later may lead to big problems.
Besides Tbilisi tries to settle the Meskhs all over the country and
not concentrate them in the regions bordering on Turkey. In some sense
it may be noted that here Yerevan and Tbilisi are of common opinion,
but the whole question is how long Georgia will be able to resist the
pressure form the West and Turkey; most probably not too long. The
truth is however that perhaps when Saakashvili leaves the situation
will change, but hardly to the better for the Armenian party, if not
to the worse. The return of the Meskhetian Turks becomes a problem
threatening Armenia’s security, for the Turkish ring is almost getting
tightened around Armenia.
"PanARMENIAN.Net" analytical department
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
