MOSCOW. Dec 29 (Interfax) - Thousands of Meskhetian Turks seeking a return to their historic homeland, Georgia, filed the required application papers with the Georgian Consulate in Moscow.

"We have handed over to the Georgian embassy 25 boxes with application forms from 12,000 people. We have been promised that these forms will be sent over to Georgia's Ministry for Refugees," Suleiman Barbakadze, Chairman of the Vatan International Society of Meskhetian Turks, told Interfax on Monday.

The application forms were collected in various regions of Russia from Meskhetian Turks seeking to return to Georgia, he said.

"This is an important stage bringing us closer to our dream to acquire our historic motherland," Barbakadze said.

He praised the role of the Council of Europe on the issue.

"We sent a letter to the Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis. On November 24-25, I met with the council's officials. We are grateful to the Council of Europe for its influence on the Georgian leadership, which resulted in the extension of the repatriation application deadline for Meskhetian Turks until July 1, 2009," Barbakadze said.

Hopefully Georgia would will all its commitments regarding Meskhetian Turks' repatriation, he said. Recently, the Georgian parliament passed in a third reading a bill extending the repatriation application deadline for Meskhetian Turks, who were deported from Georgia by the Stalin regime in the early 1940s, until July 1, 2009.

Under the bill, all Meskhetians who wish to return to Georgia are to apply to the nearest Georgian consulate.

Some reports say up to 90,000 Meskhetian Turks would like to move back to Georgia.