
PACE Autumn Session 2014:
01.10.2014PACE Autumn Session 2014: “The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia” -report highlights the repatriation process of the Meskhetian Turks
The Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) has submitted and presented a report on “The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia” during the Parliamentary Assembly on October 1 (autumn session 2014). The report’s co-rapporteurs are Mr Michael Aastrup Jensen from Denmark (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) and Mr Boriss Cilevics from Latvia (Socialist Group). Georgia’s obligation to repatriate the deported Meskhetian Turks, a commitment undertaken at accession to the Council of Europe, is one of the main topics of the report.
The Monitoring Committee confirms its commitment to follow closely the implementation of Georgia’s obligations. The Committee calls upon the Georgian authorities to develop a comprehensive repatriation strategy and recommends the removal of any barriers to repatriation that may exist in countries of origin within the Council of Europe framework. The report states a total number of 5841 eligible applications for repatriation – concerning 9 350 individuals – that have been received by the Georgian authorities. Approximately 1500 repatriate statuses have been granted. However, only very few persons have actually repatriated until now. The co-rapporteurs underline that the repatriation programme seems to have been mostly focused on providing repatriate status, and not on facilitating the actual repatriation itself.
FUEN member-organisation VATAN, the International Society of the Meskhetian Turks, is conducting a series of meetings with PACE officials from 29 September – 03 October 2014 in order to share their vision about a viable repatriation strategy.
Basın bildirileri
- Forum of European Minority Regions: we are the Europeans of the future!
- Vojvodina, an ideal host for the Forum of European Minority Regions on cross-border cooperation
- Interview: Julien Steinhauser on Language, Identity and Economic Opportunities in Alsace
- Interview: Gyula Ocskay on Re-wording Borders and Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation
- “Talking Money” – 9th Forum of European Minority Regions Focuses on Cross-Border Cooperation
- Interview: Sonja Wolf on the Role of Minorities in Cross-Border Cooperation
- Interview: Dr Georg Lun on the Economic Importance of Linguistic Diversity in South Tyrol and Beyond
- Meeting in South Tyrol: Minorities without a kin-state call for greater visibility of their languages at major events
- Press Release On the European Court of Justice’s final decision on the Minority SafePack Initiative
- FUEN TAG 11. Yıllık Toplantısı’na Bulgaristan Türkleri ev sahipliği yaptı