Türkiye on Saturday commemorated the 82nd anniversary of the deportation of Ahiska Turks from their ancestral homeland.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that on Nov. 14, 1944, approximately 100,000 Ahiska Turks were forcibly deported from their homeland in Georgia's Ahiska region-then part of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic-to remote parts of the USSR.
"Thousands of Ahiska Turks lost their lives during the deportation, while those who survived managed to preserve their identity, language, traditions and customs despite harsh conditions, passing them down to future generations," the statement said.
"On the 82nd anniversary of their deportation, we once again sincerely share the suffering endured by the Ahiska Turks and respectfully remember our brothers and sisters who lost their lives."
The ministry reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to closely monitoring the process of the Ahiska Turks' return to their ancestral homeland and to continuing to stand by the community.
