The Meskhetian Turks: without having a native place...

When you get acquainted with ethnic history of mankind more or less attentively, necessarily there is a thought how much the destinies of the people are similar to destinies of separate people. The one, having caught a place in the sun for one time, then reclines in the bed in an environment of loyal neighbors and slowly grows decrepit, eating the inheritance which has got. The other is compelled to fight all life, defending the right to existence that, having exhausted the forces, eventually dies under the blades of aggressive newcomers. The third has a fate of the people-derelicts with which the wind of ethnogenesis plays, like tumbleweed spheres in steppe …

The nationality which is known under the name Meskhetian Turks concerns the last. The matter will be of them.

For the first time the majority of our compatriots has heard about such people at the end of the Soviet Union when the interethnic collisions have begun on national suburbs of the collapsing state. Namely, in June, 1989 in Fergana valley of Uzbekistan there were the mass pogroms, the victims of which were the Meskhetians. However then, the quarter of the century ago, this event somehow was quickly forgotten against grandiose cataclysms which have shaken our state as a whole.

As, however, the previous phrase looks blasphemously!. After all it is absolutely true inherently, however how many personal tragedies were greased with it in a word “forgotten”! It is for us, detached onlookers, they were forgot, these private tragedies of separate ethnic groups and how for people on whom these pogroms have passed with fire, sticks, fists?...
Meanwhile, all history of the Meskhetians is accompanied by pogroms and rush. Someone can say that the Meskhetians are guilty in such state of affairs.

Here I want to state the firm point of view, the belief on this point. In my opinion such concept as “national lines”, “national features” exist objectively. However concrete people are their carriers. And each concrete person, besides the certain qualities a priori inherent in him as to the representative of the people, there is own will and reason. Accordingly, each person bears responsibility for his acts. And it means, that only he should be responsible for the acts and it is unfair to punish someone another for those. That is why the principle of collective responsibility for the ethnos, the representatives of which have made the certain acts, has no right for realization. The law-enforcement structures have the right and even are obliged to punish concrete infringers of the law, but not to subject a certain ethnic group to disgrace in any way on the basis of only external sign – the fact of an accessory of people to the given ethnic group.

To what is so verbose deviation? It is very simple! It is impossible to subject the whole people to reprisals, persecutions, easier hostility! However, this condition can be observed only under one important condition – such diaspora initially should observe the laws operating in territory on which it lives. Because the non-observance of these laws provokes the majority to a certain response which happens not always be adequate. Ethnic respect should be mutual!

So, the Meskhetians. (I will begin to use the pledged word, as most widely known to our compatriots though these people have some other names).
Their history leaves in depth of centuries, though, concerning other people, the given ethnos is young enough.

As it is known, one and a half thousand years ago the green banner of prophet Magomet has whirled the Arabian people and has directed them to bear new belief on edges of the blades. Many representatives of other super ethnoses turned to be involved in this orbit, who have directed not only in different sides, but also grappled with the yataghans and shamshers proving the validity of the nuances vision of newborn religion. And thus, the huge territory from the Afghani Hindu Kush to Spanish-French Pyrenees, from Indian Ocean to the Caucasus had been enveloped by a war flame in a short time interval.
The young aggressive religion sent the aggressive legions extensively. Thus, the armed adherents turned to be in valleys of the Caucasian ridges where once mighty people lived and now the weakened Christian state of the Bagratids. Who tried to resist, has fallen under blades of newcomers and who has escaped, has been compelled to adapt to new living conditions.

Our remarkable scientific Lev Gumilev has put into circulation such term as “passionarity” for half a century ago. Who accepts or who not his theory of ethnogenesis, but all heard a given word. And so, without polemicizing with doctrines as a matter of fact, we will simply accept the given concept as the working term which designates the aspiration of the person or groups of people to confirm a certain view, without being sorry thus neither other's lives, nor own.

The most passional adherents of new religion have filled the Caucasus with blood, have led it to humility and have dashed away further. And their quieter compatriots have come on the won places– so betrayed to Islam however who thirsted to be at war not in such degree, but simply wishing to live in more comfortable conditions at the expense of local residents.
Thus we also have approached to the people, who are called today as the Meskhetians.
The tribe of Meskhs lived in no time in the south of present Georgia. In VIII–IX centuries the Turks have started to move on territory of their dwelling. In these conditions each people, even each person, chose own way of a survival. Someone was adapted to the aggressors, someone suffered the persecutions and humiliations, but remained reliable to the customs of ancestors.
I can’t be kept from one more deviation. The inhabitants of the Southern Caucasus who have refused to change to Christian faith were called scornfully as “khach” that is “cross” by the Islamic conquerors. And today the Russian nationalists name the inhabitants of Transcaucasia so scornfully, without understanding that thereby they spit upon a symbol of Christian faith.
But let’s return to IX century. The majority of the Christians of region partially was lost and has partially obeyed the aggressors, however remains true to a cross. The Meskhs have decided that it isn’t to overcome a lash of a butt and have accepted Islam, gradually having mixed up with alien Turks. They have refused their own language, having accepted the language of conquerors. The widespread phenomenon in the history – a language of international dialogue should be in any polyethnic state which becomes native for many people in due course. One of postulates of the theory of Gumilev is the statement that not less than two “parental” people should necessarily participate in a birth of new ethnos. In this case there were the alien Turks-Asians and the Georgians-Meskhs of the Caucasian races. Therefore they began to be called as the Meskhetian Turks.
The youth of newborn ethnos passed during rough time. The Caucasus was the struggle arena between two Islamic super ethnoses – Persian and Turkish. And here still the Christian Georgia which didn’t obey the aggressors-adherents of a different faith up to the end and … Wars, campaigns, fights … So the centuries went.

The world has come to that region, according to the great Pushkin's trope, in the shadow of the Russian bayonet. Joining of territory of residing of Meskhetians, namely Akhaltsikhe district, to Russia has occurred in 1829.

Here is such historical digression – whence the Meskhetian people have appeared. Now is the chronicle of its drudgeries of new time.

The Meskhetians considered and consider themselves as the Turks. Besides they are Moslems. It is well-known how the national and religious policy in 20-30th years of the XX century was spent in the USSR. In relation to the Meskhetians this process was showed that they were forced to specify them in documents as the Georgians and to write the surnames on Georgian manners. This circumstance, yes at carrying out of atheistic actions, promoted the development of pro-Turkish moods in the Meskhetians environment. As it is known Turkey was serious threat for Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. Istanbul hasn't dared to attack the northern neighbor, however, most likely happen it among the Meskhetians –coreligionists, the Ottomen would find some number of supporters. Anyway, Stalin ideologists have come to such conclusion.

Taking this circumstance into consideration, the given people also have undergone to deportation. 90 thousand of the Meskhetians have moved in the remote settlements of Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Uzbekistan in 1944.

As it is known the person gets used to everything. How many grieve but all the same it is necessary to be equipped on a new place. And the Meskhetians have grown roots in new regions in due course. Therefore in 1956 when in the USSR when the restrictions in moving about the country were stopped from all subjected to repression people, not all people have decided to come back to the historical native land. They had the farm on a new place, become related with local residents, the children were born here… And what waited for them in Georgia? The old habitation belonged now to new owners, they should to adjust the same farm over again… Well the friendship of the people in Soviet Union wasn't an empty phrase however many present critics of own history confirmed the return. Besides the Meskhetians stayed among coreligionists in Central Asia!

All has changed with the beginning of “perestroika”. Any reforms have the right to existence exclusively under one condition, namely out-of-date laws should change to the new. If there is simply a demolition of old and it is offered nothing in exchange, so the anarchy and ruins turn out from which the people receive sufferings, instead of an impulse in a positive side.
We will not speak now who was a script writer of destruction of the Soviet Union. The main thing is that the scenario existed and was realized. One of its points also was recommended to sow the international discord, to set the representatives of different ethnoses on among themselves. It is unimportant how – it is absolutely easy to quarrel people if to understand.

Let’s take the same Fergana valley. Land of plenty about which they speak: thrust a shaft in the earth– the cart will grow. Now I won't begin to remember agrarian warps of the Soviet epoch, about cotton specialization of agriculture of Uzbekistan, about problems of that time … I will tell shortly: the region standard of living, however, as all the country, has started to decrease on an outcome of 80th years of the XX century. The ideologists of “katastroika” have found the guilty persons in Fergana valley – the Meskhetians. They have generated the groups of insurgents from the youth smoked by nationalist slogans and specified them: kick them! And flared up!.
It became obvious for the Meskhetians that they won’t have the life in the places, which else yesterday they considered as the new native land. It was necessary to be moved.

The compelled immigrants were pulled who went where. The part has got over to the next Kazakhstan – today it is rather unproblematic republic in an ethnic question from among splinters of the USSR. Someone was pulled in coreligionist Azerbaijan, however Baku has refused soon to the Meskhetians in hospitality in connection with inflow of refugees from Nagorno- Karabakh.

Tbilisi has agreed to accept the former compatriots, however on conditions that the Meskhetians recognize themselves as the Georgians; besides they were offered to lodge in places of compact residing of the Armenians that has provoked the increase of international relations in region. A quantity of the Meskhetians has gone to Turkey, however Istanbul, declaring for them a regime of the facilitated reception of citizenship, has tried to occupy the Kurdish earths by visitors that hasn't caused delight neither in those, nor at others …

And the part of yesterday's inhabitants of Uzbekistan has moved to Russia. Our Native land from time immemorial showed the sample of the tolerant relation to customs and beliefs of other people. However, Russia ruthlessly punished all “for a policy”, but rigidly stopped feeble efforts of own fellow citizens against the foreigners that always was perceived with favour by the same foreigners (but it doesn't mean that is grateful).
Here historically there was a present situation around the Meskhetians, if to speak shortly and in the general strokes.

According to the official data, now the nationality, which we traditionally name the Meskhetian Turks totals more than 300 persons and live in the several countries. Namely: in Kazakhstan (100 thousand), Azerbaijan (under the different data from 50 to 90 thousand), Turkey (to 70 thousand), the USA (50 thousand), Russia (to 20 thousand), on ten thousand in Kirghizia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine …

It can seem strange however Georgia is on the latest place in this list. Only one thousand persons now live on the historical native land. Why so? After all still on June 22, 2007 the Parliament of Georgia has approved the bill “Of repatriation of the persons violently moved by the authorities of the USSR from Georgia in the forties of the XX century”. It would seem the problem is solved! On the contrary, far from it!

There is such saying that it is easy to deceive one person – you won't deceive the whole people. I will make bold to correct the given statement: it is possible to confuse the whole people for some time, but sooner or later it will understand everything all the same.
The Georgian authorities couldn’t manage to do that for the short period in a case with the Meskhetians. The representatives of the people-derelict haven't wished to come back to the earth of ancestors.
One year ago the deputy Minister for Reintegration of Georgia Elene Tevdoradze has informed that from the following (i.e. present) year the Meskhetians can come and be equipped in state territory where they wish, however the state doesn't take upon themselves their settling and “repatriates will get apartment houses on the means”. In other words, this decision means the following: if you have money welcome and you aren't necessary if poor.

Even the passing glance on economic indicators of Georgia development can serve as an illustration to told above. In 2010 unemployment has made 16,9 percent of the population of the country, 16 percent live below the poverty line. The cumulative external debt makes 45,3 percent of gross national product. And to promote actively to immigration of poor in these conditions?... God forbid, citizens!

Let's reject the demagogy and tell directly. Any state is interested in inflow of capitals and rich fellow citizens and doesn't wish to fork up on the maintenance of dependents. And the position of Tbilisi in this question can be understood. Having put the question in that way, the Georgian management kills two birds at once: shows the readiness to struggle with negative consequences of a national policy of the Stalin period to the world community on the one hand and establishes the original entrance monetary qualification for repatriates in the form of necessity of purchase of habitation. In these conditions there is a question: and is it necessary for the Meskhetians?.

And I offer the limiting frankness again. Is Russia interested in inflow of the same Meskhetians? So it was historically moved that they settle basically in Krasnodar krai, forming the enclaves. They introduce an additional element of intensity in region, provoking the collisions with local population, first of all the Cossacks. I am not going to assort now, who and in what degree is right or wrong in this accruing opposition, we simply accept the given circumstance as the fact. However the Meskhetians go to Russia which doesn't pay attention to them, doesn't declare special care of these people and at the same time don't wish to go to Georgia which as if is interested in them.

Isn’t this acknowledgement of the validity of the Russian introduction that the person searches where is better! It is quite obvious that especially nothing involve the Meskhetians in Georgia. On August, 2 of the current year, the news agency “Rosbalt” has informed that Tbilisi has given the status of the refugee to 75 Meskhetians -returnees. Other site gives the figure of 115 representatives of the given nation. Let even so, 115 … It is the drop in the sea …

I don't like a word combination “if” and try to avoid it in publications as far as possible. However sometimes it is necessary to recede from this rule.
So, if something involved the Meskhetians in the long term residing in Georgia, there is no doubt that they would find the money for habitation purchase. And would form own enclaves … But they don't come! It means, they don't see any prospects for themselves!

In general it is necessary to say that all is not so simple in this question, as can seem even from resulted text above. Rather inconsistent information on this question is in the Internet. For example, it is informed that only 13 thousand of the Meskhetians wish to leave from Azerbaijan to Georgia. They wish, but don't hurry up to leave for some reason… As also Georgia – it declares about the readiness to accept the refugees, but doesn't stimulate this process.
Meanwhile, the given small chest opens rather simply. The matter is that Georgia, being the member of the Councilor of Europe, is obliged to fulfill the requirements of the given international organization. And just the returning of the Meskhetians to the historical native land is that requirement. Here is the readiness declaration to accept the repatriates. And that people don't want to come back is supposedly their private affair, Tbilisi plays the hypocrite! Not to return them by force …
Here it turns out that the situation round the returning of the Meskhetians on the historical native land represents a slow process. Official Tbilisi isn't interested in it. The population of those regions of Georgia in which the resident Meskhetians come back in no time, haven’t the delight from such prospect, expecting the trouble for themselves and the children from it. As to the Meskhetians, they not especially aspire in the country where the unemployment, language and religious problems wait for them…

In March, 2010 the general director of the Council of Europe on political problems and democracy Jean Louis Loran has noticed that Georgia doesn't keep within terms of returning home of the Meskhetian Turks. This statement has pushed Tbilisi to several new declarations on this question. To the declarations which have been not supported with real steps.
Also there is no doubt that the situation begins to develop henceforth. Only the time will show to what it result.