[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         SENATE RESOLUTION 182--RELATIVE TO THE PONTIAN GREEKS

  Mr. D'AMATO submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 182

       Whereas the Pontian Greeks originally settled in northern 
     Turkey in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to escape 
     the ravages of war and since then have found themselves 
     alternately both discriminated against as well as innocent 
     victims of brutal wars;
       Whereas the Pontian Greeks have been subject to severe 
     discrimination and torture since the early 1900's due to 
     their ethnic and cultural identity;
       Whereas the Pontian Greeks have historically been denied 
     their right to develop their own culture and study their 
     history, first under the Ottoman Empire and later while under 
     the Soviet Empire;
       Whereas the Pontian Greeks are, in part, descendants of 
     Greeks who were uprooted and forcibly resettled in Georgia in 
     the 1930's by Stalin during collectivization drives out of 
     fear of divided loyalties;
       Whereas this population of 15,000 is now cut off from 
     supply lines and distribution networks by both winter storms 
     and a brutal civil war of a year-and-a-half;
       Whereas both the battle-scarred Greek settlements and their 
     refugee camps are located in the center of this savage war;
       Whereas existing supplies are rapidly eroding, leaving 
     Greeks on the brink of starvation and forced to endure a long 
     winter without clothing, medicine, water, or electricity;
       Whereas the remaining supplies of this small minority are 
     subject to widespread looting;
       Whereas many Greeks are forced to undertake a dangerous 
     sealift in order to emigrate to Greece out of a desperate 
     attempt to escape this dire situation;
       Whereas the Pontian Greeks face certain death without 
     outside assistance: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved that the United States should take the lead in 
     organizing international humanitarian efforts to aid this 
     destitute population.

  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise today to call attention to the 
desperate plight of the Pontian Greeks stranded in the Republic of 
Georgia.
  The Pontian Greeks, stranded in the ravaged Republic of Georgia, have 
long been the victim of oppressive empires. The Pontians were the 
frequent targets of state discrimination and torture while they lived 
under the Ottoman Empire. Their lot did not improve once they were 
taken into the Soviet Empire where many became the innocent victims of 
Stalin's brutal collectivization drives. Stalin, fearing their lack of 
loyalty to the Soviet Union, forced these proud people into far off 
regions, depriving them of liberty.
  Some Pontian Greeks originally emigrated to the Crimea in the late 
19th century to avoid a state of almost continuous warfare, involving 
Turkey, Greece, and later Russia. Ironically, today the Pontian Greeks 
once again find themselves caught in the middle of the ravages of war 
in the strife-torn Republic of Georgia. Their refugee camps are located 
in the center of the civil war, leaving many women and children in the 
path of the destruction.
  To worsen this desperate plight, the onslaught of severe winter 
storms has worked to compound the problems of this starving people. The 
supply lines and distribution networks to this population of 15,000 
Greeks have been cutoff, leaving the people with rapidly eroding 
supplies that are frequently the subject of looting. In attempts at 
mere survival, the Pontians are struggling to endure a long, bitter 
winter with little food, clothing, medicine, water, or electricity.
  These brave people, left destitute and subjected to starvation, are 
being left to die. Occasionally they attempt to make a long sealift 
back to their Greek homeland. This arduous journey is not without 
peril, and Greece is struggling to assist in this exodus. Despite 
recent airlifts to aid the Pontians, the threat to them has not receded 
and the effort must be continued.
  Make no mistake about it, many of the Pontian Greeks will not survive 
this long winter without outside assistance. Because of this, I am 
calling on the United States to take the lead in humanitarian efforts 
in order to insure that a sufficient quantity of supplies arrives 
quickly enough to save this starving population. The United States must 
recognize the desperate situation of our Greek friends who have been 
innocent victims of both brutal wars and regimes for far too long.

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