Circassian repatriates call on authorities of Russia and Turkey to resume cooperation

Members of more than 150 families of Circassian repatriates living in Adygea and Kabardino-Balkaria have addressed the Presidents of Russia and Turkey with a request to resume cooperation between the countries.

The relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated after on November 24, 2015, a Russian Su-24 bomber aircraft from the Russian air group in Syria was shot down by Turkish fighter aircrafts.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told by repatriate Setin Sokurov who lives in Kabardino-Balkaria that after November 24, 2015, natives of Turkey living in Russia "became subjects to pressure." The source has also added that the authorities massively started to cancel residence permits issued to repatriates.

In this regard, according to Setin Sokurov, the Circassian repatriates have decided to address an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Asker Sokht, the head of the public organization "Adyge Khase" for the Krasnodar Territory, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he personally knows many of the people, who signed the open letter and that the appeal was written by the persons, whose family members and business suffer from the deterioration of the Russian-Turkish relations.

Asker Sokht has noted that in Turkey, the open letter was widely disseminated by the media.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.