Türkiye commemorates 81st anniversary of Meskhetian Turks' deportation

Türkiye has solemnly marked the 81st anniversary of the mass deportation of Meskhetian Turks from their ancestral homeland in Georgia, honoring the thousands who died during the 1944 forced exile. In an official statement released Friday, the Foreign Ministry commemorated what it described as a profound tragedy that displaced approximately 100,000 ethnic Turks from the Ahiska region of the former Georgian Soviet Republic.

Historical Context of Deportation

On November 14, 1944, Soviet authorities forcibly removed Meskhetian Turks from their centuries-old homeland bordering Türkiye, transporting them to remote regions throughout the Soviet Union. The deportation occurred under accusations that residents of the Meskheti region threatened state security, with entire families including women, children, and elderly individuals given only hours to abandon their homes before being loaded into freight wagons for transport.

Humanitarian Catastrophe

The month-long journey to Central Asia resulted in massive loss of life, with historical estimates indicating approximately 17,000 deportees perished from starvation, exposure to extreme cold, and disease during the transit. The Foreign Ministry statement emphasized that despite enduring immense suffering and hardship, surviving Meskhetian Turks successfully preserved their cultural identity, language, religious faith, and traditional practices through subsequent generations.

Contemporary Implications

Türkiye reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the ongoing process enabling Meskhetian Turks to return to their ancestral territories, expressing hope that repatriation efforts would reach successful completion. The commemoration underscores Türkiye's continued engagement with diaspora communities and its dedication to preserving the historical memory of Turkic populations affected by Soviet-era displacement policies.