Moscow/Agency Caucasus – Adygean historian Samir Khotko said that Olympic Games in Sochi brought Circassian genocide to the international agenda.
One of the experienced researchers of Ethnology and Anthropology Institute of Russian Science Academy Ahmed Yarlikalov thinks that the demand of recognition of Circassian genocide turns into a political issue. According to Samir Khotko, personnel of Adygean Social Research Institute, politician’s and scientist’s sincerity on the matter of Circassian genocide is not enough.
These ideas were voiced during the round-table meeting named ‘Caucasus: Problems of understanding history’ and which took place in Moscow. A lot of scientists and experts on Caucasus from Russia’s known academies and officials from Duma and North Caucasus Federal District participated to the meeting.
According to the Samir Khotko’s statement, one of the participants of the meeting, ‘Caucasia is among the few regions, where ethnic structure almost completely changed and this is the result of Russian-Caucasian wars (1817-1864). Khotko thinks that Sochi, the place where 2014 Winter Olympics will take place, is not only the symbol of ‘sweet life’ but also the symbol of Circassian land (a country that were wiped of the map). “That place is the symbol of Adygean-Ubykh-Abkhazian tragedy” Khotko said.
Hotko indicated that ‘on the occasion of Olympics, the issue of recognition of Caircassian Genocide was brought to the international area and intellectuals’ interest leaned to the Circassian history’. “The point here is the admittance of Adygeans’ and all North-West Caucasian nations’ tragedies by Russian society and to face the tragic events in Circassians’ history. Instead of this they tell us: Nothing happened. They recommend us not to talk about our own history. But it is not possible for us to do that. If we as historians keep quiet, that means that we are not fulfilling our responsibility to the society” said Khotko.
