Re: Meskhetians are in a critical situation

To: MINELRES list submissions <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 1998 13:02:33 -0800
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Meskhetians are in a critical situation

From: MINELRES moderator  <[email protected]>

Original sender: Arthur Martirosyan <[email protected]>

Re: Meskhetians are in a critical situation


Dear colleagues,

While I do agree with El'dar Zeynalov that the situation in Krasnodar krai
with Meskhetian Turks is critical and I know that not from TV reports, I
think that this call for one sided pressure on Russian authorities is
doomed to failure. Not because Russian federal or local Krasnodar
authorities are cruel and insensitive but because the roots of this
problem are much more complex. Without addressing the roots of this
problem the situation from critical will develop into tragical as it has in
many other cases.

One of the root problems of Meskhetian Turks is that in late Soviet days
the ethno-nationalist agenda of "return to motherland" was encouraged
for whatever reasons by central authorities after pogroms in Uzbekistan.
The same drive for "historical justice" supported by decrees of the
federal authorities resulted in the Ingush-Ossetian tragedy. In short,
repatriation of Meskhetian Turks from Central Asia (Uzbekistan
predominantly) to Georgia was given a green light, However, for a
number of reasons Georgian authorities both under Gamsakhurdia and
Shevardnadze see this project as challenging their nation-state
building efforts.

En route to historical motherland Meskhetian Turks settled in
Krasnodar krai, other areas of the Russian Federation and some were
welcomed by Azerbaijani authorities and settled in the area
of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

The bulk of Meskhetian Turks in the Russian Federation were never
naturalised as that would go against the agenda of the leaders of that
movement - return to the land of ancestors in Georgia
(Akhalkalak-Bogdanovka-Akhaltsikhe districts). Most of them do not
have even resident permits in Russia and therefore I doubt that they
own houses to be able to sell them as reported by NTV and repeated
by El'dar Zeynalov.

Despite willingness of the Republic of Turkey to accept Meskhetian
Turks (there was an agreement signed between RF and RT),  their
leaders (Vatan) insist on the return to Georgia and only a small number
of families so far have settled in Turkey.

The position of international organizations and the West in general has
been rather ambivalent. From one handside the prevailing rhetoric of
recent years is that of territorial/civic nationalism from the other on the
level of policy or preventive actions there has been tacit on
governmental and vocal on PR levels support for ethno-nationalist
agendas of Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks. "Return to the
motherland" is certainly from the ethno-nationalist discourse and has
nothing to do with the values of civic or territorial nationalism.

Thus Meskhetian Turks have become caught in geopolitical games
(Azeri authorities attempting to boost Turkic population or Georgian
authorities fearing ethnic conflicts) and manipulation from outside
(encouragement of "historical justice" agenda by a number of
organizations in the West, including the covert CIA operation RFE/RL
in Cold War era - as acknowledged at recent hearings in Congress
by the former CIA director.)

Certainly, something must be done to avert violence and pogroms
against innocent people. But I do not think that something is phone
calls to embassies or letters to RF authorities. There has to be a
comprehensive and well designed program addressing root causes
of this failed ethno-nationalist project. Otherwise, why is it OK to
seek "historical justice" in one case and not other(s)?

Sincerely,

Arthur Martirosyan

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