Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun: “Türkiye has made great diplomatic efforts to close the 80-year-old wounds of our Meskhetian brothers and sisters, who have been striving to return to their homeland. It continues to do so and will persist in this determined struggle until the end.”
Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the opening of the 2nd International Symposium on the Legal and Social Issues of the Meskhetian Turks, held at the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
Expressing pleasure at hosting the symposium organised in partnership with the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation, and Solidarity Foundation, the World Meskhetian Turks Union, and the Intercultural Network Association, Head of Communications Altun also wished Allah’s mercy on the Meskhetian Turks who lost their lives in exile.
Head of Communications Altun emphasised the importance of addressing the issues of the Meskhetian Turks both academically and within the context of international relations.
Head of Communications Altun stressed that societies are powerful only when they are united and together and stated the following:
“It is highly beneficial for us to remember the verses of our national poet, the late Mehmet Akif Ersoy: ‘No enemy can win unless there is any division in a nation. No cannon can destroy if all hearts beat together.’ Let us not forget that we, who share a common ancestry, are ‘one nation.’ As Akif said, as long as our hearts beat as one, whether it be cannons or rifles, we shall not bow, nor will we be destroyed. With this awareness, just as our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly stated, ‘Even if everyone stays silent, we will never stop advocating for the cause of the Meskhetian Turks at every platform.’”
Head of Communications Altun continued by stating that despite the forced deportation of 100,000 Ahıska Turks 80 years ago, who were exiled overnight to death, they have managed to preserve their identity and pass on their culture to future generations. He added:
“The Republic of Türkiye, under the leadership of our President, is determined to provide infinite support for those who achieved this great success despite the deportation, genocide, suffering, and poverty, and for those who continue to strive to add even greater successes to it. In this regard, we closely follow and support the projects carried out by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), aimed at preserving Meskhetian Turks’ history, art, culture, and heritage.”
“More than 500,000 Meskhetian Turks are still away from their homeland”
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that the Republic of Türkiye sees the peace and well-being of the Meskhetian Turks as inseparable from that of its own citizens, stating:
“Thanks to the valuable support of our Ministry of Interior and the intense efforts of our Embassies, the most significant steps in granting Turkish citizenship to Meskhetian Turks have been taken in the last 22 years. Between 1992 and 2002, only 4,480 Meskhetian Turks acquired Turkish citizenship, while in the years following 2002, this figure increased nearly 15 times, surpassing 70,000. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, more than 6,000 Meskhetian Turks, who found themselves in a difficult situation, now live in houses provided to them in Erzincan and Ahlat, enjoying the peace of hearing the call to prayer five times a day. More than 500,000 Meskhetian Turks are still away from their homeland. Türkiye has made great diplomatic efforts to close the 80-year-old wounds of our Meskhetian brothers and sisters, who have been striving to return to their homeland, and continues to do so. We will persist in this determined struggle until the end.”
Head of Communications Altun concluded by stating that, as has been the case in places like Akhaltsikhe, Khojaly, Bosnia, and other regions, the world’s indifference to the deportations and genocides taking place in Gaza is widely known. He added:
“Some ‘so-called civilizations’ that claim to be the strongest advocates for human rights fall silent when it comes to the blood and lives of Muslims. Let them be; let them stay silent, let them continue to say, ‘we didn’t hear, we didn’t see,’ but one thing is clear: they will not escape the torment of history nor the wrath of Allah.”
