Circassian issue and Georgia

Gocha Guniava
Expert's Club

May 21st marks the 147 years since the day of announcement of Russia about the end of the war in the North-West Caucasus. In honour of the victory over the Circassians a big military parade, hosted by the governor of the Caucasus Mikhail Nikolayevich Romanov was held on the Krasnaya Polyana. The result of the Russian-Circassian War, which began in 1763 and lasted for 100 years, was deaths and expulsion of 90 % of the Circassian population. Most of them found refuge in Turkey, Syria and Jordan from where they scattered around the world. Today, there are already several million Circassians. Circassians residing in the historic homeland is only 10 percent of the total number of Circassians, who are settled in 6 units of the Russian Federation.

According to official statistics of the authorities of Russia during the Russian-Circassian War, it lost more than a million Russian soldiers and officers.

150 years have passed since one of the world's greatest empires celebrated with a shameful parade the "victory" on the Krasnaya Polyana that was drenched in blood and strewn with bones of the Circassian people. For 100 years this nation had been fighting against the enemy that one hundred times surpassed its number. Circassians lost the war, but were never brought to their knees, the enemy failed to break their spirit.

The world has changed, the situation has changed. Circassians started to fight for their legitimate national interests with renewed vigour. They have chosen to Georgia as one of the allies in their struggle, and it is no accident. Circassians and Georgians are not only geographical neighbours but they share common Caucasian culture, traditions and personal relationships. These two nations, along with Vainakh people, have been most affected in the 200-year war, the results of which continue to threaten the gene pool and the very existence of these peoples.

Unfortunately, the international community knows little that the tragic events of the XIX century in the life of the Circassian people had the same impact on Georgia: hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians, due to their affiliation to the Islamic faith, were forced to leave their home land and settle in Turkey. In addition to this for the same reason in the forties of the XX century hundreds of thousands of people from the Meskhet-Javakheti region were also sent into exile. Now it is no secret that the expulsion of people because of their belonging to the Muslim faith was only a politicized pretext. This was confirmed two decades ago, when in order to fulfil its imperial goals and as a result of an artificially concocted Abkhazian-Georgian conflict Russia expelled from their homeland hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christian Georgians with the same ferocity.

In connection with the approaching 147th anniversary of the tragic events, which is marked on May 21st , the Circassian community organizations and associations operating in the Caucasus and beyond the region, call on heads of states and international organizations to recognize the genocide of Circassians, which should become a starting point for just solution of problems of this people.

In this May, public organizations of Circassian people "Circassian Congress of Israel", "Circassian Congress in Germany", "Circassian Congress of Belgium", "Adyghe Khekuzhi-Cherkessia" of Kabardino-Balkaria and Circassian Forum of Jordan sent appeals to the Georgian parliament for seeking recognition of the genocide.

The address to the Parliament of Georgia of public organization "Circassian Congress of Jordan" of May 9th, 2011 signed by leaders of the organization Adel Shapsug and Ali Kesht, said: `As a result of Russian aggression against Circassia its people have suffered from one of the largest exile in the history of mankind, and one of the ugliest tactics of genocide in which millions of Circassians were killed during the war and forcibly expelled.

These developments reflect the sad reality, and anyone can see consequences of these events, truth of which is confirmed by the fact that today only about 10% of the Circassians is in their historic homeland, while the majority of them, which account for 90% of the people live in exile.

The Circassians suffer both in their homeland and in exile, from the various methods of repression, intimidation, and negative ideas, loss of their language and traditions, and worst of all, because of the policy of elimination of their national ideology, which leads to the destruction of the Circassian national identity.

Circassians want and expect from the people of the free world, people who are tired from dominance of powerful nations their issues to be addressed fairly, in a civilized manner, and in accordance with international law.

Circassians expect from free peoples and countries, who themselves have suffered for a long time for the sake of obtaining freedom and independence, support in preservation of their dignity, to be inspired by their own history, they expect them to support solution of Circassian issue.

Consequently, the Circassian nation has confidence in the people of Georgia, which has struggled to gain freedom from the forces of darkness, and thus they have confidence that the people of Georgia will help the Circassians in fulfilment of their requirements.
Given this, "Circassian Forum of Jordan" sends appeal to the Georgian Parliament with a request to recognize the genocide of Circassians, committed by the Russian government in the XIX century.


Recognition of the Circassian genocide by Georgia, as one of the most respected countries in the Caucasus region, will open a new page in the history of human justice, and bring hope to the survival of the Circassian people.

Recognition of the genocide is the most urgent issue not only for Circassians living abroad, but also for the republics of Adygeya, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia where this issue is not out of the agenda. The history of this issue started in the nineties of last century.

Back on February 7th, 1992 the Parliament of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria passed a resolution recognizing the genocide of Circassians (the Adyge).

On April 29th, 1996 the State Council of the Republic of Adygea - Khase sent an appeal to the State Duma of the Russian Federation to recognize the genocide of Circassians.

On May 28th, 1998 Chairman of the International Association of Circassia Teuvezh Kazanok in Switzerland raised the issue of recognition of the genocide of Circassians and the repatriation of the Circassian Diaspora to their historic homeland at a meeting of the UN Working Group on Human Rights.

On June 25th, 2005 Non-Governmental Organization of the Republic of Adygea "Circassian Congress" sent an appeal to the State Duma of the Russian Federation to recognize the genocide of Circassians. The answer was as follows: during the World War II the genocide of Circassians (the Adyge) did not take place.

On November 17th, 2006 Circassian organizations of the Russian Federation sent an appeal with request to recognize the genocide to President Vladimir Putin. He was unable to use old, trite methods and blame the tsarist regime and the Stalinist regime, because he has been directly involved in organizing the genocide of the Chechen people, and through his representative in the Southern Federal District sent the authors the following response: the Russian legislation does not provide for relevant regulations, which determine the procedure for solving the problem put forward by the Circassian organizations.

On April 10th, 2007 representatives of the Circassian diaspora in the United States appealed to Vladimir Putin to examine in depth the issue of the genocide of the Circassian people and take appropriate action. But till this day he has not found time to answer the Circassian diaspora in the U.S., though he and Dmitry Medvedev several times demonstratively skied on tracks in the Krasnaya Polyana - a place that is connected to the great tragedy of the Circassians.

While turbulent processes aimed at preservation of national identity and return to their historic homeland are being developed in the Circassian population of the Caucasus and beyond, the North Caucasus is bleeding; high-rank Russian officials brazenly make cynical statements that there is no Circassian and North Caucasian problem, that they are instigated by western forces and the Georgian authorities.

Attempt of the Russian leadership to turn a blind eye to the problem and its real causes is doomed to failure. Such position can only raise a bitter smile in any normal person.

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