Circassian nationalism

The 19th-century exile of Circassians from their Black Sea homeland remains a painful tragedy, said Turkey's president on May 21. 

"On the 157th anniversary of the deportation of our Circassian brothers from their homeland, I feel a great pain in my heart, and I wish Allah's mercy to those who lost their lives," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 21 commemorated the deportation of Circassians 156 years ago from their homeland. 

"In the 156th year of their exile from their homeland, I share the pain of our Circassian brothers and once again wish God's mercy on those who lost their lives," Erdoğan said on Twitter.

'The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History' by Zeynel Abidin Besleney (Routledge, 224 pages, £84)

Circassians in Turkey are increasingly looking to gain rights from the state amid a process of questioning their identity and their place between Ankara and Moscow, according to a professor of international relations at Kadir Has University.

The Federation of the Caucasian Associations in Turkey (KAF-FED) will hold a conference on the 150th anniversary of the Circassian exile in Ankara on Dec. 13-14, within the scope of Human Rights week.