TURKS IN NO HURRY TO PUSH FOR MESKHETIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000541

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV TU GG RS
SUBJECT: TURKS IN NO HURRY TO PUSH FOR MESKHETIAN
RESETTLEMENT


(U) Classified by PolCouns John Kunstadter; reasons: 1.5
(b,d).



1. (C) Summary: Turkish MFA officials consider resettlement
to Georgia the best long-term solution to the Meskhetian
issue. Aware of Georgia's delicate domestic political
situation, however, they are reluctant to pressure Tblisi and
prefer to work through the Council of Europe. Meanwhile, in
the short-term, MFA will continue to lobby Moscow to grant
citizenship rights to Krasnodar Meskhetians. End summary.



2. (C) In recent meetings, MFA officials told us that the GOT
is not pushing hard for resettlement of Meskhetians in
Georgia or elsewhere. MFA Caucasus officer Yonca Ozceri
explained to us Jan. 17 that although the GOT has raised the
issue directly with Georgia, MFA prefers to use international
organizations -- such as the Council of Europe (CoE) -- to
discuss the Meskhetians. According to Ozceri, the CoE has
set a deadline of 2012 for Georgia to take the necessary
measures to ensure the resettlement of Meskhetians. Ozceri
said that because Ankara understands the difficult political
environment in Georgia, GOT would prefer to let the CoE
process play out.



3. (C) Ozceri averred that, ultimately, resettlement in an
area along the Turkey-Georgia border is the best solution for
the Meskhetians, but there are several obstacles that will
complicate the effort. First, according to Ozceri, the
Meskhetian homeland is now heavily populated (80%) by
Armenians who are unlikely to welcome the return of
Meskhetians. Second, some local politicians in the region
are using the Meskhetians and other groups as a political
issue to drum up anti-immigrant sentiment. Third, Georgia is
likely have difficulty funding resettlement. Finally,
Georgian legislation up to this point requires Meskhetians to
prove their ancestry and ties to the region, which is "simply
too much to ask." Ozceri claimed there have been no
discussions in the GOT about resettling Meskhetians in Turkey
or a third country such as the U.S. but allowed that the
latter option wouldn't be a problem.



4. (C) While MFA awaits the outcome of the CoE process, it is
also working quietly with the Russians to improve the
situation of Meskhetians in the Krasnodar region. MFA Russia
officer Ozlem Ergun told us Jan. 13 that, after meeting with
Meskhetians in Krasnodar, MFA raised their plight with
Moscow. MFA efforts are currently focused on overcoming
Russian domestic political resistance to granting citizenship
rights for Meskhetians in Krasnodar. Meskhetians elsewhere
in Russia "have no problem" obtaining citizenship, but local
politicians in Krasnodar continue to dissemble. According to
Ergun, there have been some efforts at the federal level to
resolve the impasse but nothing substantive has changed in
recent months.
PEARSON