On August 5, Istanbul hosted the first international conference dedicated to the independence of Circassia. The organizers called on world leaders to recognize the genocide of the Circassian people by the Russian Empire in the 19th century.
The creation of a sovereign national state is necessary to preserve the language, culture, and national identity of the Circassians, said the participants of the United Circassian Council. It includes organizations of representatives of the diaspora and residents of Karachay-Cherkessia itself. They also adopted a resolution.
Speaking online at the first international conference dedicated to the independence of Circassia, the head of the Tatarstan government in exile, Rafis Kashapov, said:
“Dear brothers! Our troubles and failures are common, the struggle for survival, the enmity that destroys us is Russian fascism. Your pain is our pain, your victory is our victory. It’s time to officially recognize the genocide of the Circassian and Tatar peoples before the world community, their forced deportation from their native lands and help establish justice. The unjust Russian Empire must collapse…”.
We, the Free Nation public movement, express our unequivocal support for the peoples who were enslaved under the rule of the Russian Empire. We support the right to self-determination for these peoples and believe that every nation has the right to choose its own future. Furthermore, we believe that the people of Circassia have the right to choose their own path of development, independent of any external interference.