AHISKA TÜRKLERININ GERI DÖNÜS SORUNU VE GÜRCISTAN'IN YÜKÜMLÜLÜKLERI

In 2007 the Parliament of Georgia adopted the "Law of Georgia on Repatriation of Persons Forcefully Sent into Exile from Georgian SSR by the Former USSR in the 40's of the 20th Century". The law addresses the issue of repatriation of people deported in 1944, i.e. Meskhetian Turks and other smaller groups. Unlike other nations collectively deported during World War II who were allowed to return since 1956, the Meskhetian Turks were in effect never rehabilitated. Georgian governments in the 1990s and early 2000s prevented the Meskhetian Turks from returning, although repatriation was among Georgia's obligations upon becoming a member of the Council of Europe in 1999. It was only after the coming to power of the Saakashvili government with its strong commitment to Euro-West integration that the issue again appeared on the political agenda; and this important commitment to the Council of Europe now seems to have been, at least partially, fulfilled. In this study the issue of the repatriation of Meskhetian Turks and the obligations of Georgia as outlined in international law will be examined.