MINELRES: Akhiskian Turks want to return to their homeland

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan <hrca@mail.ru>


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(Translated from Russian by MINELRES)
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Akhiskian Turks want to return to their homeland
The Ministry of Justice [of Azerbaijan] has registered new association
of Akhiskians
A.KHATAMZADEH

This people is often mistakenly called Meskhetians. They, the Akhiskian
Turks, take offence of this, because Meskhetians and Akhiskians are
different peoples, with different traditions, cultures, and even
languages.

At the press-conference held yesterday, Tanzilla Rustamkhanli,
chairwoman of the Association of Akhiskian women of Azerbaijan and
Turkey, told about this new, recently officially registered organisation
(it was established in 1996). The association has representations in the
USA, Canada, and France, with whom women stay in close touch. The goal
of teh accociation is to ensure this people's return to Georgia, i.e. to
their historical homeland. As it is well known, the Akhiskian Turks were
subjected to Stalin's repressions, belonging to their nation was not
mentioned in their passports. They demand that their genuine ethnicity
be recorded in their passports or other IDs. Nowadays big settlements of
Akhiskian Turks are located in Geychay, Kirdamir, Udzhar, and Zagatala.

Akhiskian women who came to the press-conference from Saatlov,
Sabirabad, Hachmaz, spoke about their problems - unemployment is high in
these regions, and the conditions of life leave much room for
improvement. According to T.Rustamkhanli, Akhiskian Turks emigrated here
for the first time in 40s, during the war. Then the new wave of
migration took place in 80s, these were mainly emigrants from Central
Asia. Each time they were seeking here a shelter from persecution. After
one of the Akhiskian women, Fakhria Alieva, they were forced to emigrate
to Azerbaijan from Samarkand. The events of those days, our interlocutor
says, will forever remain in their memory. Then very many Turks
perished, particularly children under age. Anti-Turkish moods among the
local population, accroding to the view of the Turks themselves, were
induced by local Armenians. "When we came here, we considered that
already had ceased to exist as a nation. We were afraid of everything,
believed in nothing. Thanks to Azerbaijani people for his kindness,
help, and support (Fakhria Alieva works as a doctor in Garadag hospital,
she was given the job immediately upon arrival and according to her
speciality - ed.). We want to obtain independence and return to our real
homeland, to Georgia. All our ancestors lived there, they are buried
there. We fell well here, but this is not our homeland".   

"Zerkalo" ("Mirror"), 5 March 2003