ARMENIAN YOUTH AGAINST RETURN OF TURK-MESKHETIS TO JAVAKHETI

Lragir.am
18:24:54 – 16/12/2008

The Mitk analytical center and a number of youth NGOs made a
statement against the return of Turk-Meskhetis to the region
of Samtskhe-Javakheti-Tsalka. The statement holds that 90,000
Turk-Meskhetis were deported from this region in 1944. In the
post-Soviet period and especially after its membership to the CoE
(1999) Georgia committed to their return. After their deportation their
number has gone up to 400-500 thousand. The young people state that
Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as Russia and its southern sovereign
republics periodically speak for the return of Turk-Meskhetis. They
call upon Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia to stop this policy
of return of Turk-Meskhetis, otherwise they will support the mass
protests of Armenians of the region, since this policy will lead
to unpredictable and undesired consequences for both the region
and Georgia.