The sudden forced migration of Meskhetian Turks from Uzbekistan to other regions of what was the Soviet Union deprived the Committee of much of its cohesiveness. In 1990, the Committee for Return evolved into the Vatan Society in an effort to reinvigorate the repatriation process. But amidst the chaotic conditions of the Soviet Union s collapse, leaders of Vatan, Turkic for homeland, have struggled to repair organizational links and regain lost influence. The events in 1989 were created to weaken our movement, and we have not fully recovered. The underlying tenet guiding Vatan s action is the belief that Meskhetian Turks possess a distinct cultural identity that is essentially Turkish in nature.
History knows no Meskhetian nationality.
We are basically Turks, although some differences have developed over the years. We speak a Turkic language and our traditions resemble those in Turkey, said Khalit Tashtanov, head of the Vatan society in Azerbaijan. Vatan s unwavering stance that Meskhetian Turks are ethnically Turkish runs counter to the Georgian government s position, which states that Meskhetian Turks are Islamicized Georgians. Vatan leaders say several conditions must be fulfilled before Meskhetian Turks can return. Firstly, Georgia must formally apologize for the 1944 deportation.