Ahiska
Ahiska Akhaltsikhe (Georgian: ახალციხე; Armenian: Ախալցխա, Akhaltskha; also known as Lomsia) is a small city in southwestern Georgia, Mkhare (Province) of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 46,134. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates as "new fortress".
Akhaltsikhe ახალციხე | |
|---|---|
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| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Samtskhe-Javakheti |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Total | 46,134 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+5 (GMT) |
History
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The city is first mentioned in the chronicles in the 12th century.
In the 12th - 13th centuries it was the seat of the Akhaltsikhelis, dukes of Samtskhe, whose two most illustrious representatives were Shalva and Ivane Akhaltsikheli (of Akhaltsikhe). From the 13th up to the 17th century the city and Samtkhe were governed by the feudal family of the Jakelis.
In 1576 the Ottomans took it and from 1628 the city became the centre of Akhaltsikhe(Ahiska) Province of Ottoman Empire. In 1828, during the Rusian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, Russian troops under the command of General Paskevich captured the city and, as a consequence of the 1829 Treaty of Adrianople (Edirne), it was ceded to the Russian Empire as part of first Kutaisi and then Tbilisi governorates. In the old part of the city one can see an old fortress, castle and mosque, the old fortress of the Jakelis (13th-14th century), and St Marine's Church. The hills nearby the city harbour the Sapara Monastery (10th - 14th centuries).
Geography
Ahiska Exile
Ahiska (Meskhetian) Turks who were citizens of Ottoman Empire in the past remained within the boundaries of Georgia after the boundaries were redrawn in the later period of the 19’th century. They had lived in that region for so many years.
Ahiska Turks are the only group whose nationality section of identity cards was written as “Turk” under period of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and were called as “Ottoman Turks” because of their Ottoman citizenship in the past. During the Second World War, they were deported from homeland in southern region of Georgia towards the Central Asia by a decree of Stalin, then leader of the USSR.
Today Ahiska Turks are forced to live dispersed in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation and Azerbaijan and they have faced new exiles within recent times because of various problems they faced in these countries.
In the end of 1980’s, after the attack against them has increasingly escalated in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and especially after events erupted in Fergana /Uzbekistan in 1989, Ahiska Turks had to immigrate in Krasnodar Region of Russian Federation. They have lived under primitive conditions in this region by involving in agriculture and stock breeding. Ahiskans are deprived from the citizenship rights and are not granted residence and working permission, are not provided access to the health and education services, are experienced ethnic discrimination, especially they are harassed, attacked continuously and their goods are robbed by Russian and Kazaks organizations. Finally, after the period of 16 years, they have to immigrate to, this time, the USA with the facilities provided by the USA. Within the framework of this resettlement program, as first wave of resettling, 90 families (nearly 300-350 people) departed from Krasnodar in which nearly 30. 000 Ahiska Turks live and they are resettled to Texas and Philadelphia states (Telford town) of the USA. The American officials said that total 11-12 thousands persons will take advantage from this resettlement program.
Despite very negative conditions in Georgia, Ahiska Turks have kept on the commitment to their case by raising their problem at various international platforms in every occasion in order to return their homeland. They achieved some important progress, which means a hope, on February, 2005. After relevant international organizations and institutions and various states have put pressure on the Georgian government, a governmental commission was set up in Georgia related to the repatriation of Ahiskan Turks to their homeland. In negotiation with the Commission, it was agreed on the repatriation of Ahiskan Turks to their homeland in 2011. Meantime, the governmental commission of Georgia is pushed to ensure the completion of all of the required infrastructure workings with coordination of Turkey and the European Commission.
Ahiska Turks said that instead of returning to Ahiska region of former Soviet territories, their homeland, "they had to immigrate to the USA since there was no any alternative because of unbearable inhuman treatment and the hard living condition in Krasnodar". They called this migration which may be regarded as “Compulsory Immigration", "Third Exile".
In the recent positive development, despite all negative things, a new life begins for Ahiskan families who are departed from Krasnodar and resettled to the USA through International Organization for Migration (IOM). Ahiska Turks are informed about providing them residence and job from the date they are resettled to the USA and renewing residence permission in every period of 6 months, giving examination to them for such courses as language, knowledge about citizenship after 5 years. While Ahiskan families are allocated lands by the American officials in order to plant cotton and tobaccos, they are definitely prohibited to work in other fields rather than farming. Also they have been prohibited to travel out of the USA for 5 years, if they want to go out the USA after 5 years period, they must repay the aid of 10.000 dollars which are given them unconditionally when they came to the USA. While Ahiskans are resettled in distant regions as per 3 families, even members of the same family must be resided in different settlements. It is observed that Ahiskans concern for their future since they are broken off each other and even off their families, they consider this practice is only the result of assimilation policy.
This treatment towards Ahiska Turks is not really understandable. In the USA that is regarded as the cradle of democracy and human rights, why are all of these restrictions towards Ahiskans applied? If we took this treatment from very beginning, why not a total population of nearly 30 thousands Ahiskans in Krasnodar, but are the only 11-12 thousands Ahiskans involved into resettlement program , what crime do the rest of 18 thousands people have? Is there anything such that a long-term plan?
One can remind the present situation of Iraq and the peshmerges of Northern Iraq who had been resettled to the USA sometimes ago . Also what can be the reason of dissolving families and preventing them to have relation with each other? If a few Ahiskan Turks keeps relations with each other, will the USA be disturbed by this relation? If it is, why are these people permitted to resettle in their country? All these uncertainties and problems are pointed out as common concern for the future by Ahiskan Turks who live in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhistan, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. As seen, the problems of Ahiskans Turks who have been subjected to the systematic exile policy for 60 years have not been come to an end, on the contrary, desperation and sorrow are growingly deepening.
Migration to the USA
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