Türkiye on Tuesday commemorated the 79th anniversary of the exile of almost 100,000 Ahiska Turks from their homeland in the Caucasus region during the Soviet era.
"I commemorate with sadness the 79th anniversary of the exile of Ahiska Turks from their lands, and I wish God's mercy to the approximately 20,000 brothers and sisters who lost their lives during this great oppression," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on X.
Türkiye will continue to defend the rights of Ahiska Turks on every platform, Erdoğan added.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry also said that Ankara will always continue to stand by the Ahiska Turks.
"We commemorate our compatriots who lost their lives on the 79th anniversary of the exile of #Ahiska Turks and remember their cherished memories with respect," the ministry said on X.
Ahiska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, were expelled from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944.
They also faced discrimination and human rights abuses before and after the Soviet deportation.
