International Conference in Azerbaijan Calls on Moscow to Recognize ‘Genocide of Circassians and Other Peoples’ and Stop Forcing Non-Russians to Fight Its War in Ukraine

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 7 – An international conference in Shusha organized by Azerbaijan’s Center for Cultural and Ethnic Diversity called on the Russian Government to admit to “the genocide of Circassians and other peoples” and to stop forcing members of ethnic minorities in the Russian Federation to fight in Putin’s war in Ukraine.

            Representatives from ten countries took part in a meeting that reflects the continuing anger of many Azerbaijanis about Russia’s attacks on ethnic Azerbaijanis last year (echofm.online/news/v-azerbajdzhane-proveli-konferencziyu-uchastniki-kotoroj-potrebovali-ot-rossii-prekratit-prinuditelno-otpravlyat-predstavitelej-etnicheskih-menshinstv-na-front-v-ukraine).

            What makes this meeting and its declaration so important is that it is a clear example about how anger concerning Russia’s current crimes is leading those upset to focus on Russia’s crimes of more than a century ago, in this case, the genocide by killing and forced expulsion of the Circassians more than a century and a half ago.