22 May 2017, 04:24
In Istanbul, Circassian procession ends with laying wreath at Consulate General of Russia (+video)
About 4000 members of the Caucasian Diasporas in Turkey took part in the annual action to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Caucasian War. The mourning procession ended with laying a wreath with the inscription reading "153 years of the Circassian genocide" to the walls of the Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Circassians mark the date of May 21 as the Day of Memory and Sorrow, and morning processions are held on that date. On May 21, 1864, the last battle of the Caucasian War took place.
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, put the Adyg peoples on the brink of complete extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of the Adygs to the Ottoman Empire, just a little more than 50,000 people remained at their homeland. Circassian organizations insist that the Russian authorities should make a decision to recognize the Circassian genocide during the Caucasian War.
The mourning procession in Istanbul was marked by enhanced security measures related to the visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Istanbul. On May 21, he will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This year, participants of the traditional procession were not allowed to approach the walls of the Consulate General of Russia. Security and protection of the Russian diplomatic department were provided by about 200 Turkish policemen.
The policemen stopped the participants of the procession 50 meters before the territory of the Consulate General of Russia and let only several members of the Diaspora to lay a wreath to the security fence of the diplomatic mission, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Magomed Tuayev Source: CK correspondent
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