SUKHUM / AQW'A — This year, on the 159th anniversary of the historical genocide and exile events, Circassians and Abkhazians in Turkey will stand in unity to declare, "This is genocide." They will articulate their demands concerning the tragic circumstances they endured. The significant anniversary, falling on May 21st, will be marked with various activities and events.
19. yüzyıl boyunca, Rus-Kafkas Savaşı bölgede jeopolitik açıdan önemli değişikliklere yol açtı. Rus İmparatorluğu ile Kafkasların yerli halkları arasındaki çatışmalar, Abhazlar da dahil olmak üzere bölgede önemli nüfus değişimlerine neden oldu.
SUKHUM / AQW'A ― Metin Kılıç has announced his candidacy for the Turkish parliamentary elections, running for the Yeşil Sol Parti (Green Left Party) on May 14, 2023. Kılıç has previously campaigned for Parliament, being a candidate for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in 2015 and representing HDP in the second district of Bursa during the 2018 general and parliamentary elections.
SUKHUM / AQW'A ― Turkey is gearing up for one of the most important elections in its history. In the midst of the election preparations, the Caucasus Associations Federation (KAFFED) has announced its support for independent parliamentary candidate Mutlu Akkaya, a former KAFFED Vice President. Akkaya is running for a seat in Kayseri to represent the Circassian community in the upcoming 2023 General Elections.
The KAFFED (Federation of the Caucasian Associations), the largest and most influential North Caucasian umbrella organization with 56 active Caucasian associations in Turkey, issued a statement condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
"We strongly condemn Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. We share the pain of civilians directly affected by these attacks and fear for their lives. Ukrainian people should not be a victim of NATO's containment policy", KAFFED said in a statement.
KAFFED also calls Russia's actions an intervention that could set the entire region of Eastern Europe and West Asia on fire and "cause instability in both our country of residence, Turkey, and our republics in our homeland."
"History has taught us that wars do irreparable harm, not solve problems. In this context, it is clear that today's Russian attack on Ukraine will exacerbate rather than solve problems in the region and feed new hostility and instability," KAFFED said in a statement.
The authors of the appeal urge all parties to the conflict to adhere to international law.
"As a society still experiencing the pain of occupation and wars hundreds of years ago, we say 'No to War' first and foremost and call on all parties to respect international law and remember their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, especially to civilians, with our belief that conflicts in the world cannot be resolved by war," KAFFED said in the statement.
In Turkey, Samsun, December 20 was the grand opening of the Abkhazian Cultural Center. At its opening was invited delegation from Abkhazia, which included members of the State Committee for repatriation. The Chairman of the Abkhazian Cultural Center in Samsun was elected Chetin Azhiba.
Hurriyet Daily News -- The Federation of the Caucasian Associations in Turkey (KAF-FED) will hold a conference on the 150th anniversary of the Circassian exile in Ankara on Dec. 13-14, within the scope of Human Rights week.
In a public educational school in the Turkish city of Hendek near Beylice teaching of the Abkhaz language has begun, Apsnypress has reported in the State Committee for Repatriation.
Irfan Okuyucu, a native of Sakarya, is teaching the Abkhaz language in a primary school in a class of 15 who wish to learn their native language.
The descendants of Abkhazian migrants continue to populate the verdant villages between Düzce and Adapazarı, but their culture is slowly dying out a century-and-a-half after they left their homelands on the northeast side of the Black Sea.
The President received the chairman of the State Committee for Repatriation who had led the Abkhazian delegation that had arrived from Turkey the day before.
On November 24 another elections of the Chairman of the Abkhaz Cultural Centres were held in Turkey. In the framework of the pre-election campaign Representatives of the Abkhaz Cultural Centres had a Plenary Meeting. Representative of the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry Inar Gitsba attended the Meeting and read out the complimentary address of the Foreign Minister Viacheslav Chirikba to the diaspora, in which he outlined the main tasks and foreign policy goals, in particular:
