November 6, Nalchik, KBR - The 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi is
one of the most important things on the political agenda in Russia
today. This cheerful event coincides with a tragic one – the 150th
anniversary of the Circassian exile. Sochi was the last capital of the
independent Circassia. Its port was the place from which the
Circassians were deported to the Ottoman Empire. Krasnaya Polyana
(Kbaada in Circassian), the area that will be the center of the 2014
Olympic Games, was the place where, on May 21, 1864, a parade of
Russian troops celebrated the end of the war with Circassians. How to
combine these dates? How to reconcile the cheerful and sorrow events?
All those who feel responsibility for Russia and the Circassian world
are looking for the answer to this problem.
There are two alternatives offered today to solve the Circassian
issue of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The first project implies creation of
an extreme situation which will lead to an international conflict and
even to human victims. The other one offers a civilized way though the
resolution of the Circassian question.
THE PROVOCATIVE PROJECT OF TAKING THE ATTENTION OF THE CIRCASSIANS AWAY FROM THE SOCHI OLYMPIS
The first project implies a creation of
an artificial conflict. From one side it proposes to take the attention
of the Circassians away from the 150th anniversary of their exile in
2014. From the other side, the initiators of this extreme situation
should be able to solve it as soon as there would be no need in it
anymore. The territorial conflict in Kabardino-Balkaria has been chosen
for the creation of the extreme situation. Based on the 131st Federal
Law the Kabardino-Balkar Parliament passes a provocative law according
to which indigenous Kabardian lands are given to several Balkar
villages. Inevitably it will cause a disturbance to the Kabardian
community. The next step is the development of the tension. The fire is
supposed to spread over to the other parts of the Circassian world –
the Circassian communities in Adygeya and Karachaevo-Cherkessia are
already concerned about the situation. On the third stage the
disturbance should spread over to the Circassian Diaspora which is more
negative about the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The main point of the conflict situation is that it absolutely
cannot be solved by the Circassian community and the Diaspora, and the
more they protest the more unsolvable it will get. And from the other
side, the situation will be under total control of the initiators and
can be solved by them. The members of the Parliament of
Kabardiano-Balkaria play the role of the guilty side, and at the same
time they are hinting to the community that they are under the pressure
from the Federal Center. A small meeting by Balkars activists in Moscow
would demonstrate that fact. And the representatives of the local elite
try to make the public believe as if the Kremlin became scared from
that action and brings the local Government to fulfill all their
demands without any consideration or delay. The disturbance in the
Republic can lead to human victims now and to deep antagonism between
the Circassian and Balkar nations in the future. And nobody considers
the interests of the small Balkar nation which cynically is supposed to
be sacrificed for the Sochi Olympics as well. At the end of this
scenario the provocative law will just be annihilated everything will
come back to the status-quo.
Such a project of salvation of the Circassian problem of the 2014
Sochi Olympics suffers from grave shortcomings. First of all, no such
conflict project will be able to cancel the 150th anniversary of the
Circassian exile in 2014 even if all the tasks will be accomplished.
But under unpredictable circumstances the problem can become even
bigger and take anti-Russian way instead of the supposed anti-Balkar
one. Nobody should deceive himself that the public would not be able to
figure this project out if the common observers did so at the very
beginning. The Circassian world is seriously concerned that it is
divided, not allowed to return to the homeland, and under the threat of
assimilation. And an attempt to deprive the Circassians of their
remaining small lands can be interpreted as a next step to the total
extermination of the Circassian nation on its homeland and it can
become a spark for a real explosion. It can put the West Caucasus on a
fire of no less danger than the one on the East which was extinguished
with such a hard effort.
THE PROJECT OF CIVILIZED SOLVATION OF THE CIRCASSIAN QUESTION
We, the authors of the project of the
World Circassian Olympic Games “Circassiada 2012”, are fully confident
that there is another, peaceful and civilized way to solve the
Circassian problem of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It can be done through
the salvation of the very Circassian question that has been a big
problem for Russia and the Circassian world already for 250 years (101
years of war and almost 150 years after the exile). This way is based
on mutual benefits both for Russia and the Circassian world.
The Circassian question consists of three issues – the recognition
of the genocide, the repatriation of the Diaspora, and the unification
of the territories into one Republic within the Russian Federation.
The
prospects of the salvation of the Circassian question are in finding
the consensus between Russia and the Circassian world. There are simple
issues which are beneficial for both sides. Due to the economic crisis,
Russia will be not able to pay compensations in case it would recognize
the Circassian genocide, which is one of the main obstacles for the
process. And the Circassian side could renounce any claims on pecuniary
compensation in consideration of the world economic crisis and on the
ground of the moral principles of the Circassian national ethic ‘Adyghe
Khabze’. Russia will benefit from the recognition of the Circassian
genocide for several reasons. Firstly, it will resolve the Circassian
question and will soften another cause of disturbance in the Caucasus
and, very importantly, will solve the Circassian problem of the 2014
Sochi Olympics. Secondly, such a salvation can become a model project
for similar situations. Thirdly, it will help toward moral
rehabilitation of the Russian nation and lead to social, economic, and
political prosperity. It is a well known fact that the most prosperous
period of the Russian history took place after the abolition of serfdom
which shows the importance of such moral acts.
The recognition of the Circassian genocide should be concluded in a
legitimized document. It can be a social compact between the Russian
Government on one side and the regional governments of
Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygeya, and Karachaevo-Cherkesia and the general
public on the other side. It will not be difficult to associate with
numerous non-government Circassian organizations in Russia and in
Diaspora. The two other Circassian issues can be resolved within this
social compact as well. A law should be passed – and a state program
developed – to repatriate the Circassians to their homeland. The
federal and regional budgets should include the state expenses for the
support of the settlement of the repatriates. The other term of the
social compact is the merger of the Circassian regions into a unified
Circassian Republic. And one can imagine the stabilizing impact such a
united Circassian Republic will have South Russia having solved all the
long-lasting problems due to the good will of the Russian Government.
Thus the Circassian question can be resolved before the sorrowful
150th anniversary of the Circassian exile. And on the very eve of the
2014 Sochi Olympics contemporary Russia will show the international
community a beautiful example of a humane resolution of a long-lasting
problem.
November 6, 2009
Sufian Zhemukhov and Aleksey Bekshokov
the authors of the project “Circassiada 2012” – World Circassian Olympic Games
http://www.circassianworld.com/new/homeland/1399-zhemukho-bekshoko-statement-nov6.html
