NATIONAL MINORITIES OF GEORGIA IN FOCUS OF OSCE HIGH COMMISSIONER

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Ambassador Rolf Ekeus will hold a number of meetings with Georgian leaders, the Yerkir newspaper reported. Specifically, he has to meet with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Prime MInister Zurab Nogaideli. During his Tbilisi meetings Rolf Ekeus will discuss issues referring to a complex project over national minorities being implemented in Georgia by the OSCE. Ekeus will meet with Giorgi Khaindrava, with whom development programs in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakhetia (populated by Armenians) and Abkhazia will be considered. Specifically, human rights issues in Gali region of Abkhazia populated by Georgians and the opportunity of opening the UN Human Rights Sukhumi Office in Gali will be considered. As of Javakhetia, questions of economic rehabilitation of the region and repatriation of Turk Meskhetians, who had been deported from there by Soviet authorities, will be discussed.