Turkey evacuated another group of Ahıska Turks from the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, while Ukrainians in Germany sought Ankara’s help in evacuating more civilians from the country amid Russia’s invasion.
At least 185 Ahıska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, arrived in eastern Turkey as they were greeted and welcomed by Deputy Governor Abdülkerem Abbasoğlu as well as the secretary-general of the World Meskhetian Turks Union (DATUB), Fuat Uçar.
The number of Ahıska Turks evacuated and placed in an accommodation center since the start of the war has reached 1,113.
On Nov. 14, 1944, 100,000 Ahıska Turks were deported by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin from their ancestral lands in Georgia's Meskheti region to distant parts of the Soviet Union, according to the World Ahıska Turks Association. Some of the expelled Ahıska Turks settled in Ukraine in 1989.
Today, approximately 20,000 people live in the Meskhetian region, though a very small number of the population are Turkish.
The majority of Ahıska Turks still live where they were exiled or in the countries they later migrated to.
According to reports from international organizations and other sources, 550,000-600,000 Ahıska Turks currently live far from their homeland.
Some have made their way to Turkey, while others are in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and the United States.
Georgia has failed on its part to take concrete steps to resolve the issue despite a law it enacted in 2007 on the return of Ahıska Turks.
Despite harsh conditions, they preserved their identity over the decades and passed on their cultural heritage to future generations.
Due to the conflict that broke out between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine in 2014, most Ahıska Turks were allowed to move to Turkey and settled in the eastern Erzincan province on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's initiative.
At least 3,752 people have been killed and 4,062 injured in Ukraine since Russia began its war Feb. 24, according to U.N. estimates. The true toll is believed to be much higher.
More than 6.2 million people have fled to other countries, with 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Meanwhile, more than 200 Ukrainians living in Germany gathered Tuesday in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin with Ukrainian flags and banners asking the Turkish president to help Ukrainians amid their ongoing war with Russia.
Chanting "Turkey save Mariupol" in Turkish, protesters asked President Erdoğan to help Ukrainian soldiers and civilians trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Demonstrator Eva Yakubovska said protesters made a similar call for help in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin two weeks ago, noting that residents "got stuck" in Mariupol for more than two months.
"It's incredible. These people have to find water and food. Some 500 civilians are also stuck in the city," she said.
Yakubovska said residents should be evacuated as soon as possible. "The security of the evacuation of these people should not be ensured only by Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish state should also be involved for safe evacuation."
She emphasized that the best option for evacuation of soldiers and civilians trapped in Mariupol is by sea.
"At the same time, Turkey is a strong country and can achieve evacuation by providing security," she added.
'People's right to exist'
Vladyslava Vorobiova, another protester, said demonstrators want "people's right to exist" in Mariupol to be protected.
"People who gathered in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin want to save lives, they want to save not only the lives of Ukrainians but also the lives of all people in Mariupol," she said. "Mariupol has been under siege since the Russian war began. People were deprived of their right to live there. We are here for them."
"Turkey supported us and we are very grateful for that. But for Mariupol, we still need a strong move and the fastest possible evacuation because every second counts," she said.
Suat Palabas said he lived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, but came to Germany because of the war.
"We want Turkey to mediate and help end the war. Turkey is a reliable country. Ukrainians know that they will be helped. Because they trust Turkey, they ask for help from Turkey," he added.