RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IN GEORGIAN REGION OF SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI: FELLOW AT FOUNDATION FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES IN GEORGIA

Trend
Oct 27 2009
Azerbaijan

The process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia should
be considered as regional one because it can cause problems in the
Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, senior fellow at the Foundation
for Strategic and International Studies in Georgia, Professor Vladimir
Papava said.

"I do not think that rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia
is in the interests of the region. After rapprochement between
Turkey and Armenia, Georgia will not have an argument that return of
Turks-Meskhetians will create new ethnic problems in the region. But,
in fact, Armenians living in those territories (Samtskhe-Javakheti)
oppose and are afraid of Turks’ return," Papava told Trend News.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the protocols Ankara-Yerevan in Zurich on October 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken
in 1993.

The law on repatriation of internally displaced people to Georgia came
into force in early January. According to the Ministry of Refugees
and Resettlement, bids for return are made by people willing to
be repatriated.

The Repatriation Law was approved at request of the Council of Europe.

Primarily, it concerns Turks-Meskhetians internally displaced from
South Georgia in 1944 by Stalin’s regime. Now Turks-Meskhetians live
mainly in Russia and Azerbaijan. Many of them intend to return to
their historical homeland.

According to Papava, if Armenia feels that the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem will be solved in its favor, some forces in the country will
provoke the conflict in Samtskhe-Javakheti too. This process should
be considered as a regional process but not as Georgian internal one.

Certainly, Javakheti’s issue should be considered both in the context
of Turkish-Armenian rerapprochement and return of Turks-Meskhetians
in the territory where the Armenians live now, he said.

"At present, Georgia is in a very difficult position. The Armenians
living in Georgia significantly oppose return of Turks-Meskhetians
to this region," Papava said.

If Turkey and Armenia fully approach, the Armenian community living
in Javakheti, must not oppose return of Turks-Meskhetians. However,
the situation is different. It can cause ethnic problems in the region,
experts said.

He said that it is an important new perspective of the problem of
the regional process.

"However, on the other hand, the status quo in the Caucasus could
not be maintained for a long time. Conflicts in the region must be
solved," Papava said.