Experts doubt Turkey's intention to raise issue of Circassian genocide in Russian Empire

Despite the proposal of deputies of the Russian State Duma to introduce responsibility for denying of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey will not initiate a similar draft law on the genocide of Circassians in the Russian Empire. This opinion was expressed by Russian and Turkish experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". In case if Ankara declares the Circassian genocide, it will not find international support in this regard, turkologist Alexander Sotnichenko believers.

The initiative of the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) was supported by members of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia. However, many experts treated it as an initiative being not in the interest of the country.

Turkologist Alexander Sotnichenko has expressed the hope that "no genocide fight will start in international relations with Turkey."

According to political analyst Togrul Ismail, a professor of the TOBB University in Ankara, the Turkish side will not pursue its own interests at the expense of risking security and position of the fraternal peoples of the Caucasus and, in particularly, Circassians.

Togrul Ismail has also not ruled out that the crisis in relations between the two countries will affect the Circassians living in Russia.

According to Juliet Djanteeva, the head of the Department of Social and Political Studies of the Institute of Humanitarian Studies of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, the concern of Caucasian peoples of Russia can be explained by possible rupture of ethnic and cultural ties with members of their Diasporas in Turkey.

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