SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 06. Only about 10
percent of Circassians live in their historical homeland, stated
Professor Merab Chukhua, Director of the Institute of Caucasian
Studies at Tbilisi State University, during an international
conference on "Cultural and Ethnic Diversity: Historical Lessons,
Modern Challenges" in Shusha, Trend correspondent reports from the event.
"The Circassian population worldwide is approximately 6.2
million, but only about 10 percent of them currently live in their
historical homeland," he said.
The professor noted that today's Circassians, who are threatened
with extinction, want to return to their historical homeland, from
which they were forcibly expelled.
He emphasized that several territories in modern-day Russia,
including the city of Sochi, are historically Circassian lands.
"Modern Russian toponymy is subject to falsifications: some
settlements given Circassian names by the Russian authorities have
no historical connection to the Circassians—they have never lived
there, nor do they live there now. This is an attempt to erase the
historical memory of the Circassian people," added Merab
Chukhua.
It should be noted that an international conference on "Cultural
and Ethnic Diversity: Lessons of History, Contemporary Challenges"
is taking place in Shusha.
The event is organized by the Center for Cultural and Ethnic
Diversity in partnership with the Silk Road Public Association for
Cultural and Historical Research.
Representatives from Azerbaijan, the United States, France,
Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Turkey, and
Georgia are participating in the conference.
