Hayots Ashkhar, Yerevan, in Armenian
24 Sep 05 p 4
TURKEY GRADUALLY TAKING OVER CAUCASUS – ARMENIAN PAPER
Headlined “Turkish danger”
Turkey’s consistent invasion of Georgia by means of the
Turkish-speaking population (Azerbaijanis and Meskhetian Turks) is
becoming more and more noticeable.
At present, Turkey is acting in Georgia not only to ensure its own
geo-political interests: in this case, in order to settle Turks in
the region and gain access to Azerbaijan. Turkey is also trying to
occupy Georgia from inside by expelling Armenians from Javakheti and
returning Meskhetian Turks there and increasing the number of
Azerbaijanis living in the south of Georgia, to be short, turning our
neighbour into a Turk. Georgian press reports testify that the
Marneuli military airport, which has already turned into a Turkish
military base, is not a Turkish-Georgian, but a Turkish-Azerbaijani
military base now, as 90% of those who serve there are local
Azerbaijanis.
Turkey is also invading Abkhazia using the economic potential of
thousands of Abkhazians living in Turkey. In the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region, which is located along the border with Turkey, Turkey is
trying to use Meskhetian Turks who have already settled in
Akhaltsikhe.
Different Turkish foundations are financing the construction of
schools and mosques in the Azerbaijani populated regions of Georgia,
while Armenian Javakheti with its destroyed cultural, educational and
economic infrastructure is the only gap between these regions and
Turkey.
In such conditions, the implementation of the Turkish plan to expel
Armenians from Javakheti to Russia and to return Meskhetian Turks to
this region is the same as forming a homogeneous ethnic corridor
between Turkey and Azerbaijan, i.e. from the Turkish border to
Azerbaijan.