Meskhetian Turks in Georgia

By Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

 

Representatives of Meskhetian Turk organizations gathered at a conference in Tbilisi and demanded the repatriation of Samtskhe-Javakheti residents forced out of the region by Stalin in 1944. The population was given only a few hours to pack, it was put on train carriages and transported to Central Asia. Many died on the way or after spending the first months on alien territory.

Today, 70 years after the tragedy, with very few people who survived the deportation still alive, their children and grandchildren demand justice. Moreover, in 1999, speaking at the Council of Europe, Georgia took on the obligation to restore historical justice and gradually receive everyone willing to return.

Meskhetian Turks demand a road map for the repatriation and discussion of dual citizenship. The problem is complex, because Georgian law does not stipulate dual citizenship. Only the president has the exclusive right to grant it. Saakashvili naturalized tens of thousands of people. Yet there were no Meskhetian Turks among them, even though the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those deported served in the army for two years to prove their loyalty to the Georgian government and try to earn citizenship.

In May 2011 about 13,000 Meskhetians living in Azerbaijan filed bids to return to Georgia. According to one of the heads of the Samshoblo (Homeland) Society in Azerbaijan, Shamsaddin Sarvarov, they want to return to South Georgia, from where they were deported during WWII. Starting in 1989, when the problem was especially topical following the events in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, the Georgian elites tried to settle Meskhetian Turks in other regions, fearing problems in the Adigeni, Akhaltsikhe, Aspindza and other districts of Georgia’s South, where Meskhetians had been living before being deported.

The districts are adjacent to the Javakheti Region, which is mainly inhabited by an Armenian population. Armenian activists are opposed to the repatriation of Meskhetians to the nearby residential areas and rule out settling them in Javakheti, threatening to start mass protests. They claim that Turks have never lived in Javakheti and have never been deported from there, although some can argue about that.

Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili says that residents of the regions from where the Meskhetian Turks were deported are hostile towards the Turks. He urged the government to collaborate with the local population and prevent separatist sentiment. Nanuashvili clearly hinted at tensions between Muslims and Christians in the region.

According to Niadin Kazanov, the head of the World Meskhetian Turks Association, about 500,000 Meskhetian Turks live all over the world, but only 10,000-15,000 would settle in Turkey. Kazanov explained that the rest had got used to new territories, found jobs, houses, created families, their children were attending school.

World practice shows that what matters is the opportunity to return to one's native land, at least for a short moment. Meskhetians are willing to serve in the army, pay taxes and be law-abiding citizens of Georgia.

South Georgia, the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, is the most fertile in the country, despite its severe climate. In 1980 Rezo Chkheidze made a film “Earth, This Is Your Son” about it. The only thing it lacks is a workforce to cultivate the land and collect harvests. The late historian Professor Guram Mamulia used to refer to this, as a supporter of the Meskhetians’ return. In the late 1980s, when Professor Mamulia was raising the issue of their return, the problem seemed insoluble. The repatriation of hundreds of thousands of people and the presence of nationalists eager to incite tensions made it very risky. Some conflicts took place in districts where several repatriated families were settled in communist times, after the Fergana events.

Little has changed since then, Georgia has become different and people have new hopes for restoration of historical justice for the long-suffering people.

Descendants of those deported demand repatriation and dual citizenshipBy Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik KavkazaRepresentatives of Meskhetian Turk organizations gathered at a conference in Tbilisi and demanded the repatriation of Samtskhe-Javakheti residents forced out of the region by Stalin in 1944. The population was given only a few hours to pack, it was put on train carriages and transported to Central Asia. Many died on the way or after spending the first months on alien territory.Today, 70 years after the tragedy, with very few people who survived the deportation still alive, their children and grandchildren demand justice. Moreover, in 1999, speaking at the Council of Europe, Georgia took on the obligation to restore historical justice and gradually receive everyone willing to return.Meskhetian Turks demand a road map for the repatriation and discussion of dual citizenship. The problem is complex, because Georgian law does not stipulate dual citizenship. Only the president has the exclusive right to grant it. Saakashvili naturalized tens of thousands of people. Yet there were no Meskhetian Turks among them, even though the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those deported served in the army for two years to prove their loyalty to the Georgian government and try to earn citizenship.In May 2011 about 13,000 Meskhetians living in Azerbaijan filed bids to return to Georgia. According to one of the heads of the Samshoblo (Homeland) Society in Azerbaijan, Shamsaddin Sarvarov, they want to return to South Georgia, from where they were deported during WWII. Starting in 1989, when the problem was especially topical following the events in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, the Georgian elites tried to settle Meskhetian Turks in other regions, fearing problems in the Adigeni, Akhaltsikhe, Aspindza and other districts of Georgia’s South, where Meskhetians had been living before being deported.The districts are adjacent to the Javakheti Region, which is mainly inhabited by an Armenian population. Armenian activists are opposed to the repatriation of Meskhetians to the nearby residential areas and rule out settling them in Javakheti, threatening to start mass protests. They claim that Turks have never lived in Javakheti and have never been deported from there, although some can argue about that.Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili says that residents of the regions from where the Meskhetian Turks were deported are hostile towards the Turks. He urged the government to collaborate with the local population and prevent separatist sentiment. Nanuashvili clearly hinted at tensions between Muslims and Christians in the region.According to Niadin Kazanov, the head of the World Meskhetian Turks Association, about 500,000 Meskhetian Turks live all over the world, but only 10,000-15,000 would settle in Turkey. Kazanov explained that the rest had got used to new territories, found jobs, houses, created families, their children were attending school.World practice shows that what matters is the opportunity to return to one's native land, at least for a short moment. Meskhetians are willing to serve in the army, pay taxes and be law-abiding citizens of Georgia.South Georgia, the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, is the most fertile in the country, despite its severe climate. In 1980 Rezo Chkheidze made a film “Earth, This Is Your Son” about it. The only thing it lacks is a workforce to cultivate the land and collect harvests. The late historian Professor Guram Mamulia used to refer to this, as a supporter of the Meskhetians’ return. In the late 1980s, when Professor Mamulia was raising the issue of their return, the problem seemed insoluble. The repatriation of hundreds of thousands of people and the presence of nationalists eager to incite tensions made it very risky. Some conflicts took place in districts where several repatriated families were settled in communist times, after the Fergana events.Little has changed since then, Georgia has become different and people have new hopes for restoration of historical justice for the long-suffering peop