FUEN in Strasbourg

Federal Union of European Nationalities has undertaken an official visit to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the Winter 2014 Session which is taking place on the week of  27 and 31 January 2014 in Strasbourg.

FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip Oglu and President of FUEN’s member organization International Society of Meskhetian Turks VATAN Zhavid Aliyev and its Vice-President Fuad Pepinov held meetings and conducted consultations with PACE members and bureaucrats on the question of repatriation of the Meskhetian Turks to their homeland, Georgia.

FUEN and the representatives of International Society of Meskhetian Turks VATAN held meetings with Gisela Wurm, Chairperson of the National Delegation of Austria, which holds the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. FUEN and VATAN held discussions with co-rapporteurs of the honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia Boriss Cilevičs and Michael Aastrup Jensen, Director of Political Advice of the Council of Europe Alexander Guessel, Political Advisor from the Directorate of Political Advice Albina Ovcearenco and Charlotte Altenhöner-Dion from Directorate of Human Rights and Antidiscrimination of the Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM). The delegation also met with Ms. Christine Astrig Mardirossian, Adviser from the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. FUEN and VATAN held meetings with the Chairperson of the National Delegation of Georgia Tedo Japaridze and the Georgian Deputy Guguli Maghradze, and the Chairperson of the National Delegation of Turkey Reha Denemeç during PACE’s session.

During talks held with PACE’s bureaucrats and members, FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip Oglu stressed the importance of dialogue between the Georgian governmental authorities and the Mesketian Turks in the repatriation process. VATAN President Zhavid Aliyev and Vice-President Fuad Pepinov underlined that Law on Repatriation of Persons forcefully sent into exile from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia by the Former USSR in the 40’s of the 20th Century in 2007 did not deliver Georgia’s obligation to the repatriation of the Meshketian Turks to their homeland and Law. VATAN asked Georgian authorities to provide an open-ended and simplified procedure for the repatriation of the Meskhetian Turks to their homeland.
 
FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip Oglu  said, “The repatriation of the Meskhetian Turks is on the agenda of FUEN since 1996 and FUEN adopted resolutions at its annual congresses in order to attract attention of international society on the unsolved problems of repatriation of the Meshketian Turks. FUEN has recently expressed its strong discontent and bewilderment in regard with the statement of David Darakvelidze, Minister of Refugees on the subject of Georgia’s implementation of its obligations undertaken upon the accession into the Council of Europe to repatriate the population forcibly deported by Stalin decree in 1944 from Akhaltsih region of Georgia. FUEN will continue to monitor the repatriation process of the Meskhetian Turks to their homeland.”

Photo: FUEN/Halit Habip Oglu

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