MINELRES: Georgia: Governmental commission on Meskhetians

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Original sender: Emil Adelkhanov <emil-ade@cipdd.org>


(Translated from Russian by MINELRES)

BLACK SEA PRESS, March 28, 2005
Issue 3

The first meeting of Georgia's Governmental Commission on Repatriation
of Meskhetian Turks has taken place. 

Tbilisi, March 28, 2005. /BLACK SEA PRESS - IA "News - Georgia"/. 

The first meeting of Georgia's Governmental Commission on Repatriation
of Meskhetian Turks has taken place at the office of the Georgian
Minister for Conflict Resolution on 28th of March. According to the
press-service of the Minister, members of the Commission discussed
general issues, assessed existing situation and outlined further
activities of the Commission. Members of the Commission will have to
submit their proposals concerning its further work at the next meeting,
which will take place next week. 

Georgia has undertaken an obligation before the Council of Europe to
return to Georgia Meskhetians, deported in 1944. The Commission's
mandate is to oversee the fulfillment of this obligation. Members of the
Commission are: Georgy Khaindrava, Georgian Minister for Conflict
Resolution, Chairman of the Commission; Eter Astemirova, Minister for
Refugees and Settlement; Bizdina Bregadze, Deputy Minister of Internal
Affairs; Konstantin Vardzelashvili, Deputy Minister of Justice; Elene
Tevdoradze, Chairwoman of Parliamentary Human Rights Commission; Dimitry
Kotetishvili, representative of the President's office; Tamar Kobziride,
Deputy Minister of Economy; Sozar Subary, People's defender of Georgia;
Guram Ananiashvili and Lavrenty Dzhaniashvili, scientists; David
Dzhaparidze, representative of Repatriation Office of the Ministry for
Refugees and Settlement; Gia Nodia, Chairman of the Caucasus Institute. 

A week earlier a meeting with representatives of public movement Vatan
has taken place at the office of the Georgian Minister for Conflict
Resolution. The movement Vatan represents about 300 thousand Meskhetian
Turks. Suleiman Barbakadze, leader of the movement has expressed his
hope that this might be the start of the resolution of Meskhetian
repatriation issue. Georgy Khaindrava noted that a number of
international and western countries are ready to provide help in the
issue of Meskhetian Turks' repatriation to their homeland.