Türkiye on Monday commemorated the anniversaries of the Crimean Tatar and Circassian exiles, describing both events as major humanitarian tragedies and reaffirming its support for the Crimean Tatar people.
In a statement marking the 82nd anniversary of the 1944 exile of Crimean Tatars and the 162nd anniversary of the Circassian exile, the Foreign Ministry said hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported from their homeland to labour camps in various countries, where many lost their lives under harsh conditions.
The ministry said the Crimean Tatars, the indigenous people of Crimea, were prevented from returning to the Crimean Peninsula for many years.
It also stressed that the suffering of the Crimean Tatars worsened following “the illegal annexation of the Peninsula.”
