QA-39, 18 May 2018, Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hami Aksoy, in response to a question regarding the Anniversaries of the Crimean Tatar and Circassian Exiles

Approximately 250.000 Crimean Tatar Turks were exiled thousands of kilometers away from their motherland on the night of 17-18 May 1944. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of Crimean Tatar Turks perished under the inhumane circumstances of this deportation. Many of them passed away in exile under harsh conditions. Today more than 100.000 Crimean Tatar Turks still live far from their homeland.

21 May is commemorated as the anniversary of the “Circassian Exile” tragedy. During the invasion of the Caucasus by the Tsarist Russia, hundreds of thousands of Caucasian peoples lost their lives. Many survivors were exiled from their homeland and had to take shelter in Anatolia. The pain of this tragedy is still alive.

On this occasion, we commemorate those who lost their lives during these exiles and respectfully bow before their memory.