President Says Georgia not Ready to Repatriate Meskhetian Turks

President Eduard Shevardnadze said today that Georgia is not ready to solve the issue of repatriation of the Meskhetian Turks to Georgia yet.

?The current situation in Georgia, including the conflicts in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, does not allow us to settle this problem. However, step by step we will solve this issue and the Meskhetian Turks will return to Georgia,? Shevardnadze said at a news briefing on October 6.

Recently Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support to the repatriation of Meskhetian Turks to Georgia. He said ?Georgia is not ready to settle this problem so far.?

Georgia has not adopted yet the law on the return of Meskhetian Turks in compliance with the commitment undertaken by Georgia upon its accession to the Council of Europe in 1999.

According to the commitment, Meskhetian Turks deported in 1944 should be returned to Georgia by the end of 2012.

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