Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Circassian Activists in Turkey Receive Boost from Erdogan

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Circassian Activists in Turkey Receive Boost from Erdogan

    Circassian Activists in Turkey Receive Boost from Erdogan

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 100
    May 28, 2013 05:35 PM
    By: Valery Dzutsev


    Circassians commemorating the 149th anniversary of the end of the
    Russo-Caucasian war, Nalchik, May 21

    On May 21, Circassians worldwide marked the 149th anniversary of the
    end of the Russo-Caucasian war. In the North Caucasus, the largest
    republic with a Circassian population, Kabardino-Balkaria, held
    multiple events marking the anniversary. Hundreds of young people
    staged a procession in the republic's capital, Nalchik, and an
    estimated 3,000 people participated in a rally in the central part of
    the city. The leadership of the republic was also present at the
    rally, underlying the political importance of the event. The president
    of the International Circassian Association, Khauti Sokhrokov, stated
    at the rally that the Russian-Caucasian war changed the fate of the
    Circassian people. `Only an impartial assessment of this war will give
    [us] the right to look into each other's eyes calmly and not leave
    this problem to the next generations,' Sokhrokov said
    (http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/224505/). The procession of
    Circassian youth in Nalchik featured quite frank slogans, such as `We
    remember the 1763-1864 Circassian genocide'
    (http://kavpolit.com/21-maya-den-pamyati-i-skorbi-cherkesov-traurnoe-shestvie-v-nalchike-31-foto/).

    Khauti Sokhrokov is closely connected to the government of
    Kabardino-Balkaria and is ostensibly loyal to Moscow, but even with
    this background his statements resemble those of independent
    Circassian activists. Even officials in the republic cannot nowadays
    simply ignore the issue of recognizing the Russian Empire's `genocide'
    of the Circassians in the 19th century. At the same time, the
    authorities try to appropriate public discussion on the Circassians'
    past travails. The rally in Nalchik was officially endorsed and likely
    organized in part by the republican government. A few speakers called
    on the Circassians not to dwell on past events, but work instead to
    `develop Kabardino-Balkaria.' The regional authorities in Krasnodar
    region devised their own way of alleviating the Circassians'
    grievances. On May 21, the Day of Memory and Grief marked by the
    Circassians, authorities in Krasnodar planned to invite Circassian
    activists to the sites where the Russian army celebrated its victory
    over the Circassians in 1864, followed by an excursion to the 2014
    Olympic sites in Sochi. In this way, the authorities in Krasnodar
    would add an insult to injury (http://aheku.org/page-id-3557.html).
    Many Circassians have been opposed to the Olympics in Sochi, calling
    it the `land of genocide' and demanding that Russia recognize the
    tragic events, which happened there as `genocide'.

    Circassian claims received an unexpected boost from Turkey during the
    149th anniversary of the war's end. Selahattin Demirta?, the chairman
    of the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party in Turkey, spoke in favor of
    Turkey recognizing the Circassian genocide, which gave an important
    international boost to Circassian claims. `Turkey traditionally does
    not welcome topics related to genocide and pogroms,' Demirta? said.
    `This morning, Circassian associations held protest actions in front
    of the Russian Embassy. In our turn, we intend to propose that
    parliament recognize the Circassian genocide and promote publicity for
    this issue in the international political arena'
    (http://aheku.org/page-id-3560.html). Moreover, on May 18, the
    Circassian diaspora in Istanbul unveiled a monument dedicated to the
    genocide and exile of the Circassians. The organizers of the event
    invited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to attend, and
    even though the prime minister did not find time to visit the site, he
    sent a sympathetic letter stating: `I reckon that such events possess
    special importance for both, receiving international acclaim and
    strengthening our unity and brotherhood that is held together by
    honoring the memory of those who died in exile'
    (http://aheku.org/page-id-3559.html).

    The `genocide' issue is especially sensitive for Turkey, because of
    Armenians' claims that Turkey should recognize the atrocities
    committed in 1915 as `genocide' by the Ottoman Empire. The Russian
    Federation officially recognized the Armenian `genocide' in 1995
    (http://ria.ru/spravka/20100305/212370444.html), so if Turkey were to
    recognize the Circassian `genocide' by the Russian Empire in 19th
    century, it would be only a belated tit-for-tat move. Georgia is thus
    far the only country in the world to have officially recognized the
    Circassian `genocide': it did so in 2011. Turkey may want to avoid
    negative repercussions, as it has relatively warm relations with
    Russia. At the same time, Turkey is certainly trying to establish
    itself as a regional power that has its own views on the countries
    that border it. This means that Ankara will have to make some
    decisions that strengthen its identity and show its leadership role.
    Therefore, the issue of recognizing the Circassian `genocide' appears
    to be growing as part of the widening public debate inside Turkey.

    Russian-Turkish relations soured over the past several years in
    connection to the opposing views of the crisis in Syria. The civil war
    in Syria is also related to the Circassian question, since thousands
    of ethnic Circassians reside in this war-torn country and some of them
    have fled to Turkey. Turkey has the largest Circassian diaspora in the
    world, numbering up to 5 million people, so the Turkish authorities
    are understandably attentive to what the Circassians say about the
    situation in the North Caucasus. The upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi
    raises the stakes of the Circassian question. The significance of any
    political decision regarding recognition of the Circassian genocide
    would be magnified because of the world's attention to the region.

    Both the Circassians in the North Caucasus who are loyal to Moscow and
    independent Circassian activists expect Russian authorities to somehow
    act upon the Circassian question and stop avoiding it, particularly as
    the 2014 Olympics in Sochi make it virtually unavoidable. Moscow's
    inaction on the issue, it seems, no longer satisfies anyone among the
    Circassians. And with growing awareness in Turkey, it seems that the
    issue is not losing momentum, but forcing Moscow further and further
    into a state of genocide denial.

    http://www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=40935&tx_ttnews[backPid]=685&no_cache=1




    From: A. Papazian
Working...
X