2000 | Adygea Republic

A Call on Compatriots

Dzharim Aslan A.
President of the Republic of Adygea

The most important event of the 19th century is the great tragedy the Circassians suffered during the Caucasus Wars. Although they had a large population before the war, the war has left the Adygeans on the brink of extinction because of the genocide committed by the Tsar on our people. The tragedy of our people did not end after the war, but it has intensified even more, and the vast majority of our people has been forced to live in exile. Losses have continued in exile.

Those forced to live outside of the Motherland, their sons and daughters, have always lived facing towards the Caucasus. A few generations have passed away without realizing their hope to see the Motherland only once. Because of historical and political obstacles, only a very few were able to visit their Motherland.

Russia has now acknowledged that the struggle of the Adygean people during the Caucasian Wars in the 19th century was a struggle for their independence and freedom, and the consequences of the wars have to be eliminated. These facts are expressed explicitly in the declaration of the President of the Russian Federation Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin addressed to the peoples of the Caucasus on the 130th anniversary of the end of the Caucasian Wars, 18 May 1994. The Russian Federation, moving towards democracy, human rights and international norms, allows the return of the Circassians who live outside of the Motherland.

These facts are stated and confirmed once more time in the declaration on the support to and protection of the rights of the Russian diaspora, adopted by the Russian State Duma on 8 December 1995. This declaration is the main reference point and the political basis of our efforts to help our compatriots living in other countries. Recognizing our responsibilities for the future of our compatriots forced to live outside of the Motherland, we, the Republic of Adygea, introduced a number of laws and regulations regarding the protection of the rights of the Adygean diaspora and their return to the Motherland.

Source: Adıgey Cumhuriyeti Yasaları: Anayasa, Anayurda Dönüş, Vatandaşlık ve Yatırımlar Mevzuatı (Laws of the Republic of Adygea: Constitution and Regulations on Return to Homeland, Citizenship and Investment, Translated into Turkish by Fahri Huvaj, Adıgey Publications, Ankara, 2000.