Head of Council: Respect for indigenous peoples' rights basis of long-term stability in Caucasus

Respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as the preservation of their language and historical memory, are the basis of long-term stability and peace in the Caucasus and the Caspian region, Fatimat Kardanova-Yanonene, co-founder and chair of the World Circassian Council in Lithuania, said.

According to a Report correspondent in Shusha, Kardanova-Yanonene noted speaking during a panel discussion within the framework of the international conference "Cultural and Ethnic Diversity: Lessons of History, Contemporary Challenges" that repatriation should be considered a natural and integral part of the global process of decolonization:

"We call on friendly states, international institutions, and the peoples of the Caucasus to facilitate the creation of peaceful legal mechanisms that guarantee the Circassian people the right to remedy the consequences of deportation and restore their connection with their historical homeland," she said.

The head of the council noted that ethnocultural return does not mean a return to the past.

"This is not a utopia and not an attempt to revise existing borders. It is about creating a modern, open, and secure space in the Caucasus, free from colonial practices, where the rights of indigenous peoples are reliably protected under international law," she stated.

According to her, the World Circassian Council seeks to become a platform for dialogue, expert analysis, and the consolidation of efforts of constructive forces and peoples of the Caucasus region.

"The Circassian question shows the true attitude of imperial centers toward cultural diversity. The history of our people proves that historical traumas and injustice have no statute of limitations. Attempts to erase people from the map of history or assimilate them are doomed to fail as long as national consciousness and the desire for freedom persist," said Fatimat Kardanova-Yanonene.

She added that the experience of the Circassian people demonstrates the need for international legal and political decolonization mechanisms to protect ethnocultural diversity in the 21st century.