Ethnic Armenian party opposes Meskhetian Turks' repatriation to Georgia

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Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 10:43:50 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Ethnic Armenian party opposes Meskhetian Turks' repatriation to Georgia

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Ethnic Armenian party opposes Meskhetian Turks' repatriation
to Georgia


Ethnic Armenian party opposes Meskhetian Turks' repatriation to
Georgia

Mediamax news agency
19 Feb 02

YEREVAN -- The cochairman of the Zang party of Javakhk
[Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southern Georgia], [Mels] Torosyan, has
said that "the return of Meskhetian Turks to the region is groundless
and inexpedient". Torosyan said this in an interview with the A-Info
agency of Akhalkalaki.

He stressed that numerous Georgian media outlets and politicians were
trying to link the problem of the return of the Meskhetian Turks with
"resistance" by the local Armenian population and evade the
implementation of Georgia's obligations to the Council of Europe. "We
are confident that a solution to the problem mainly depends on the
desire of the authorities and local Georgian population," Torosyan
said.

He mentioned unemployment, which reaches 85-90 per cent in Javakheti,
among the reasons why the Meskhetian Turks' return to Javakheti was
inexpedient.

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