Unending migration of Meskhetian Turks

Abstract

Meskhetian Turks is known as the only Turkish community still forced to live stateless. Todays, in nine states of the world, the fourth generation, they are perhaps the only community, who are struggling to survive and still not allowed to return to their homeland. However, these people are an extension of a great empire. The Ahiska region, which had been the motherland of the Ahiska Turks for centuries, was taken out of the Ottoman Empire in 1828 and became under Russian occupation. During the Stalin regime, people within the region, within two hours from their homeland, were sent to exile in Central Asia on account of the fact that they are of Turkish origin and being close to the border with Turkey. Among the people who have been subjected to Stalin's persecution, only Meskhetian Turks today continue their exile and do not return to their homeland. In fact, the Meskhetians have been exiled three times since 1944, and now they are facing huge material and spiritual difficulties in the nine countries of the world: USA, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, North Caucasus, Ukraine and Georgia.

C1 [Devrisheva, Khalida] Pamukkale Univ, Tarih Bolumu, Fen Edebiyat Fak, Denizli, Turkey.