State Minister Speaks of ‘Ethnic Cleansing of Uzbeks’ in Kyrgyzstan

Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, described developments in Kyrgyzstan as Russian-inspired “ethnic cleansing” of Uzbeks.

Speaking with journalists after meeting with visiting President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on June 14, Iakobashvili said that among other issues, he had also expressed his views about Russia’s actions.

“We have stressed that what is now happening in Kyrgyzstan – ethnic cleansing of Uzbeks – is a continuation of ethnic cleansing in Tskhinvali region,” Iakobashvili said. “I think when you allow Russia to do that in one place, it will then repeat the same in other places. So it is high time for the international organizations to react adequately on ethnic cleansing, which happened in Georgia.”

Reports say that several days of clashes in the Kyrgyz town of Osh have left more than 100 dead. Violence sent tens of thousands of people, mainly ethnic Uzbeks, but also a large number of Tajiks, flooding over the border into Uzbekistan.

Iakobashvili also said that he had discussed with PACE President the Georgian government’s State Strategy on Occupied Territories: Engagement through Cooperation. He said that in two weeks the government would finalize work on action plan – a document laying out concrete steps and proposal on how the strategy should be implemented.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)