TBILISI - Georgia needed assistance of other countries to find a solution to Abkhazia problem, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Wednesday.
Saakashvili told A.A correspondent that it was early to talk about return of Mesketian Turks to their former places due to Abkhazia problem.
Georgian President Saakashvili stated that there were 300 thousand refugees in Georgia due to Abkhazia problem.
It was too early to talk about return of another society to Georgia unless that problem was solved, Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili noted that his country was examining every application made by those people and expressed thought that individual returns should be made instead of collective returns.
His country needed assistance of other countries to find a solution to that problem, Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili stated that he would welcome and respect any neighbor country, particularly Turkey, if they accepted a part of those people in their territory.
Georgia would fulfil its responsibilities for return of Meskhetian Turks, Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili added that similarly, Russia and international refugee organizations should deal with the issue seriously.
Georgian President Saakashvili will come to Turkey on Thursday as the guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Saakashvili would have meetings in Turkish capital Ankara and commercial hub Istanbul during his three-day visit to Turkey.
An official welcome ceremony will be held at the Presidential Palace for Saakashvili, who will pay a visit to Turkey as the guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, on Thursday.
Sezer and Saakashvili will hold a joint press conference following their tete-a-tete meeting and meetings between Turkish and Georgian delegations.
Saakashvili, who is expected to have meetings at Turkish parliament, will attend dinner hosted in his honor by Sezer.
On the second day of his visit to Turkey, Saakashvili will receive Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and then proceed from Ankara to Istanbul.
Issues concerning the two countries and common regional and international developments will be taken up during the visit of Saakashvili.
Exact date of Saakashvili's visit to Turkey could not be set due to escalating tension between Georgia and Adzharia.
Gul, who spoke to Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania by phone after settlement of the tension without occurrence of any unpleasant incidents, expressed Turkey's pleasure with the positive developments.
Gul and Zhvania had touched on the visit Saakashvili wanted to pay to Turkey in this phone talk.
(BRC) 19.05.2004