14:36, 22 July 2004

Meskhetians start leaving

A first group of Meskhetian Turks, eleven in number, has departed for the US. Under arrangements reached, the emigrants will be provided with homes in the United States and aid in learning English and doing the required paperwork. Besides, they have been promised lifelong social benefits for pensioners and disabled people.

Territorial Governor Alexander Tkachev has approved of the start of the resettlement. In particular, he observed Meskhetian Turks enjoyed all social benefits on a par with the native population in the Kuban area. However, those people, as the governor said, have not been able to adapt to the local environment, they have not accepted the local way of life and traditions, while crime has grown in places where Meskhetian Turks live, which has caused negative reaction of local population.

Twelve thousand Meskhetian Turks live in Kuban currently. Seven thousand of them are not Russian citizens. Another forty-nine representatives of this ethnicity will leave the Krasnodar territory in the next five days. A total of about five thousand have expressed a wish to emigrate.

Author: Yana Lobastova, CK correspondent