Address of Circassians to the NTV general director To director of the TV-channel NTV Mr. Kulistikov V.M.

Address of Circassians to the NTV general director To director of the TV-channel NTV Mr. Kulistikov V.M.

Dear Vladimir Mikhajlovich!

On November, 16th, 2011 in the TV-program “Today. Results”, it was mentioned the address of the ethnic Serbs living in Republic of Kosovo, sent the embassy of Russian Federation in Belgrade with the request to give them Russian citizenship, because of numerous infringements of the rights of Serbs under the ethnic attribute committed by the local Albanians making the majority of the population in Kosovo. Commenting the named problem, the correspondent of NTV mentioned that Russian Federation has had some experience of rendering of assistance and help to citizens of the former Union republic Yugoslavia. In particular, in 1999 Russian Federation helped to evacuate from Republic of Kosovo to 39 families of ethnic Adygs – “descendants of ex-officers of the imperial army of Russian Empire, emigrated to Balkans during the Civil war”.

That statement is, speaking mildly, a frank lie.

Really, in 1999 to Adygeya Republic with assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation and the Ministry of Emergency Measures of Russian Federation, as well as numerous Circassian Diaspora in the countries of the Near East, they managed to evacuate several hundreds Circassians (Adygs) from Kosovo which for that moment was a region of the hot ethnic conflict between Serbs and Albanians. But those Circassians are not descendants of imperial officers as the correspondent of your telechannel has dared to declare. They are descendants of Circassians whom, defending their independence during the Russian-Circassian war of 1763-1864 (in the official Russian historiography called ‘Caucasian war’), as they did resisted the imperial officers of the Russian Empire. In the end of that bloody war and the ethnic cleansings recognized by the Parliament of Georgia as the genocide of the Russian empire committed against the Circassian people, the rests of Circassians were compelled to leave the limits of the historical Circassia and to settle down on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire, using Circassians as skilled soldiers, settled them along the borders of the state, and thus a part of Circassians appeared on the territory of modern Republic of Kosovo.

Your correspondent should know about the mentioned fact, because repatriation of Circassians to Adygeya Republic in 1999 had got a wide publicity in mass-media.

It would be desirable to hope that the above-named fact is not a purposeful leading astray of the Russian televiewers, and, especially, not an intentional mockery above the historical memory of Circassian people.

The Channel NTV, for almost 20-years history of its broadcasting, was reputable to televiewers for the objective reporting of information, the first class TV-programs and professional collective. It would be desirable to wish your channel and you, as its head, a greater creative achievements and success in the professional field.

Vladimir Mikhajlovich we hope you will hear us.

Yours faithfully,
Audience of the Circassian information web-resource Elot.ru