Why I'm begging the universe for Azerbaijan not to recognise the Circassian Genocide
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Yes, I'm back again with yet another newsletter about the Circassian Genocide. I promise, I'm not trying to meet any quotas and Robin is not forcing me to write these at gunpoint. I've just been in a perpetual state of annoyance ever since I read this article on APA, an Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet, about how important it was for the world to recognise the Circassian Genocide as 'another stain on Russia'.
Important context: APA's content is objectively not journalism — it's drivel dictated by the government that has laid total waste to independent media in the country, rendering the scene virtually barren.
This article was born out of an ongoing diplomatic row between Baku and Moscow, which began in December last year after the fatal crash in Kazakhstan's Aktau of an Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) flight headed from Baku to Grozny.
In the months following the crash, Azerbaijan has gone from hinting at Russia possibly having shot down the plane to straight up accusing it of doing so and covering up its tracks.
The dramatic fallout between the two peaked in June, with the two countries detaining quite a few of each other's citizens. Azerbaijani pro-government media was locked and loaded, regularly generating criticism of Russia.
There is no shadow of a doubt that this APA article on the Circassian Genocide is part of that campaign.
It quite extensively details the events leading up to the genocide and its impact on the North Caucasus and the Circassians — the vast majority of whom were exiled from the region. It criticises Russia's refusal to acknowledge the genocide and it's eradication of the Circassian language, culture, and historical memory.
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It says Azerbaijan and the Circassians were bound together by 'collective traumas caused by imperial policies' — either the Russian Empire's or the Soviet Union's. It notes that Circassian diaspora organisations in Turkey were among the first to not only express condolences to Azerbaijan over the AZAL crash, but they also condemned the act 'as another example of imperial violence and disregard for law', declaring that 'Russian imperial brutality is not just the pain of one nation, but a shared grief for all peoples of the region'.
It also claims that interest in the Circassian Genocide in Azerbaijan was growing among local media, researchers, and civil society activists — all driven closer by the shared suffering wrought on them by Russia.
Could this be a sign that Azerbaijan might recognise the genocide? Gosh, I certainly hope not.
We've seen Azerbaijan tout its championing of oppressed indigenous peoples' rights before with its targeting of Western European nations with brutal colonial histories — most notably France, which openly and staunchly supports Armenia.
In that absurd episode, we saw France accuse Azerbaijan of supporting riots in one of its overseas territories, New Caledonia, claiming that Baku 'made a deal' with Caledonian pro-independence leaders.
In the months since, we've seen an evidently government-linked Baku Initiative Group host a variety of seminars and conferences decrying the effects of European colonialism on indigenous people around the world.
While I recognise that the recognition of other nations' tragedies will always be political in nature, I do want to see more countries recognise it, as with Ukraine's own recognition of the Circassian Genocide earlier this year or Georgia's recognition in 2011.
However, I believe an Azerbaijani recognition will do the cause more harm than good.
Aside from it coming from nowhere, it would be based on a disingenuous 'anti-colonial' narrative, made even more absurd by Azerbaijan's own miserable track record. Let's not forget the Aliyev regime continues to oppress its own indigenous Talysh population and that it ethnically cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh of Armenians in September 2023. On the global stage, Azerbaijan also materially supports the Israeli warmachine in its ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Would the Circassians celebrate an Azerbaijani recognition? Err, possibly, but that remains to be seen, and I'll sleep better if it was met with condemnation instead.
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Even today, peace is just as fragile, and the situation can change just as momentarily if our society does not act wisely. Therefore, this day is, on one hand, a day of remembrance of our heroes and, on the other hand, a day of reflection on our future. In 2008, we had a puppet regime in the form of the 'National Movement' and Mikheil Saakashvili. The puppet regime acted completely to serve others' interests and acted not in Georgia's interests – the result of this is the August war. […] On the one hand, they [UNM] spoke about occupation, and on the other hand, they supported the Russian Federation's membership in the World Trade Organization. However, they received orders, whatever interests they had to serve; that's how they acted. This is the difference between a puppet regime and a patriotic regime.' Mikheil Kavelashvili , Georgian Dream-elected President : 'Today we are here to honor our heroic soldiers, our national heroes, because they gave the most precious thing for the freedom of our homeland. Once again, honor and glory to their memory. Their memory is eternal. One thing must be said clearly: Georgia has always had, has now, and will always have heroic soldiers. This should never be questioned. The fact that our country has come this far is thanks to our heroic people, our heroic soldiers, and warriors. Therefore, no one should even dare to raise any doubts in this regard. We all know that we have heroes and will always have them. […]' Irakli Chikovani , GD Defense Minister : 'Today is the gravest day in modern Georgian history. 17 years have passed since the Russo-Georgian war. Here rest the soldiers, the brave men, the sons of Georgia who defended their homeland and gave the most precious thing for their own homeland – their lives. We, as the entire Defense Forces, the Ministry of Defense, and I personally, will do everything to honor their memory with dignity. And, of course, we will support their families in every possible way.' Kakha Kaladze , Tbilisi Mayor : 'August 8, 2008, is a tragic day in Georgia's recent history, which brought the country enormous human losses and the gravest political, economic, and social consequences. We lost many warrior soldiers and police officers in this war. The peaceful population died. We lost territories. We received the gravest consequences. Tens of thousands of people became displaced in their own homeland. This war showed us what kind of government should not exist, this war showed us only a concerned international community […]' Also Read:
