Türkiye marks anniversary of Ahiska Turks' Soviet exile

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Monday commemorated the 78th anniversary of the exile of almost 100,000 Ahiska Turks from their homeland in the Caucasus region during the Soviet era.

"On the 78th anniversary of this tragic incident, we share the grief of our Ahiska brothers and sisters and wish Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives during the deportation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Thousands of our kinsmen lost their lives during the deportation, and the ones who survived struggled to continue with their lives in exile facing great difficulties. Despite the hardship, they have always preserved their Turkish identity and passed it on to future generations," it added.

Türkiye closely follows the situation and repatriation of 500,000 Ahiska Turks, who were scattered around different countries and gives them its full support, the ministry said.

Ahiska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, were expelled from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944.

They also faced discrimination and human rights abuses before and after the Soviet deportation.