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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 (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.
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 U.S. accepted many Meskhetian Turks in a refugee resettlement program. Many have settled in Philadelphis, PA. Others will be moving to Knoxville, TN in 2005.
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