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Head of Bursa-based Ahiska Turks Society Hulusi Gumush: â€œAccording to the law adopted in Georgia, it is impossible for us to settle in Ahiskaâ€

09 June 2009 10:26 (UTC +04:00)

Istanbul â€“ APA. â€œThe aim of our society established in 1993 is to help Ahiska Turks, who moved to Turkey from the post-Soviet area,â€ head of Bursa-based Ahiska Turks Society Hulusi Gumush told APA. He said 90 percent of the Ahiska Turks, who settled in Inegol settlement of Bursa, got Turkish citizenship.
â€œI believe that our compatriots, who applied for Turkish citizenship by May 28, will get citizenship within 6 months,â€ he said.
Hulusi Gumush said the law on repatriation adopted in Georgia in fact created obstacles for the Ahiska Turks to return.
â€œActually, the law on â€œReturning to motherlandâ€ should be called the law on â€œNot returning to motherlandâ€. According to that law, it is very difficult to return to our native lands. According to that law, we can not return to Ahiska. They do not give back our property, as regards the problem of citizenship they demand those documents from the state archives which is impossible to find. I have visited other countries. Everybody visits Turkey freely. Of course there are some difficulties here, too. It is impossible to work in the country without insurance, as the countryâ€™s labor legislation is in line with the laws of the European Union. We informed the government about the problem through our federation in Ankara. The government solved it by decisions and resolutions. Now Ahiska Turks, who have the right to live in Turkey, do not face difficulties in working. Those who have no permission to live can study freely,â€ he said. Hulusi Gumush mentioned that they held a congress in Azerbaijan in 2006.
â€œWe do not see ourselves as separated from Azerbaijan and Turkey. What problems can we have there? I believe that Azerbaijan will be side by side with the biggest states of the world soon,â€ he said.