1. Meskhetians (Meskhs) are ethnic Georgians, indigenous population of Meskheti (Samtskhe-Javakheti province of Georgia).

2. Meskhetian Turks are the former Muslim inhabitants of Meskheti (Georgia), along the border with Turkey. They were deported to Central Asia in 1944 by Josef Stalin and settled within Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Today they are dispersed over a number of other countries of the former Soviet Union. Majority (about 90%) of Meskhetian Turks are ethnic Turks (Yerli and Terekeme) and Kurds, minority - descendants of indigenous Georgians forced into Islam in the 17th-18th centuries. Estimated population of Meskhetian Turks is around 200,000. They are known as Akhaltsikhe Turks in Turkey.

In May 1989 a pogrom of Meskhetian Turks occurred in Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan as a result of growing ethnic tensions in the overcrowded and poverty-ridden area of Fergana. This triggered massive evacuation of Meskhetian Turks from Uzbekistan.

In 2004 the US accepted many Meskhetian Turks in a refugee resettlement program. Many have settled in Philadelphia, PA. Others will be moving to Knoxville, TN in 2005.

External links

• Open Society Institute, Forced Migration Projects: Meskhetian Turks