US embassy cable - 03ANKARA541

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