The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a statement to honor those uprooted under the Soviet regime 81 years ago, as May 18 marks the beginning of the forced exile of Crimean Tatar Turks in 1944.
“Crimean Tatar Turks, the indigenous people of Crimea, were forcibly uprooted from their homeland 81 years ago today (May 18) and exiled under inhumane conditions. A significant number of those exiled lost their lives as a result of the conditions they were exposed to,” the statement said.
“Although decades have passed, the usurped rights of the Crimean Tatar people have not been restored and the illegal annexation of Crimea has further deepened the suffering,” the ministry also said.
Crimea became one of the casualties in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, especially after the ouster of pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 following pro-Western protests in Ukraine that eventually divided the country into two strict pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian camps. Subsequent protests by the two sides found their way onto the peninsula. As a new pro-Western administration came to power, Russian military units on the Crimean Peninsula saw active deployment across the cities on the peninsula. The Russian military’s actions were a violation of two deals between Russia and Ukraine signed in 1997 and 2010.
In February 2014, a pro-Russian mob stormed the parliament in Crimea, demanding independence from Ukraine through a referendum. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly, advocating integrity with Ukraine, declared that it would stage a counter-rally against pro-Russian groups scheduled to hold a rally supporting the referendum. Large-scale rallies pitting the two sides against each other took place on Feb. 26, 2014. More than 7,000 activists, mostly Crimean Tatars, joined the rally against the secession of Crimea. Two died in brawls during the confrontation, while the referendum was postponed over the incidents. Crimean Tatars decided to boycott the referendum, which went ahead anyway. The referendum ended up with a result in favor of pro-Russian groups. The U.N. General Assembly later voted to declare the action illegal. Along with an overwhelming majority of U.N. member states, Türkiye denied recognition of Crimea as Russian territory. Moscow, on the other hand, went ahead with the annexation, with President Vladimir Putin signing a decree five days after the referendum annexing Crimea to Russia and creating new federal regions.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement on Sunday said that Türkiye, as in the past, would continue to support Crimean Tatar Turks, “to eliminate their unjust sufferings, to protect their identity and to ensure that they live in their ancestral lands in safety, peace and prosperity. We share the sorrow of our Crimean Tatar Turks and fraternal Caucasian peoples, wish mercy upon those who lost their lives in these tragic events that left an indelible mark on the collective memory of humanity, and respectfully honor their memories.”
The ministry also issued a message in memory of Circassians whose forced exile preceded Crimean Tatars. “The Circassian exile is another tragedy that we remember with grief. 161 years ago, on May 21, the Caucasian people were forced to leave their homeland under harsh conditions and many of them lost their lives,” the statement said.
