Ahıska Turks move into permanent homes in eastern Türkiye

Ahıska Turks evacuated from Ukraine and brought to Türkiye in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war are celebrating moving into permanent homes built for them in Ahlat district of Bitlis, eastern Türkiye.

The families were evacuated from the war zone on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and initially provided temporary accommodation in Elazığ, eastern Türkiye.

A total of 371 homes completed in Ahlat’s Tunus neighborhood are now being handed over to Ahıska Turkic families arriving from Elazığ.

The Ahıska Turks, who were exiled from their ancestral lands 82 years ago and later endured the hardships of war in Ukraine, have now been settled in new homes where they can live in peace and security.

Families who had previously settled in Ahlat welcomed the newcomers with Turkish flags as they arrived at their new homes.

Fuat Uçar, secretary-general of the World Union of Ahıska Turks, said that Ahıska Turks had finally gained permanent homes in Türkiye 82 years after their exile.

He said the community had been separated from its homeland for decades and was scattered across nine countries following the 1944 deportation.

Uçar said that following the Russia-Ukraine war, Ahıska Turks were evacuated from Ukraine and brought to Elazığ under the coordination of the Foreign Ministry. A decision was later made to resettle 1,000 families in Ahlat through organized migration.

Uçar said 218 families had settled in Ahlat during the first phase of the project two years ago, while the second phase would see 371 families, totaling 1,262 people, move into their new homes.

He described the latest arrivals as creating a festive atmosphere in Ahlat, where relatives who had been separated were reunited.

“After an exile that began 82 years ago and scattered our people across 9 countries, an environment has finally been created where they can live freely and comfortably in their own homeland,” Uçar said.

He added that the families were now able to continue their lives under the Turkish flag after years of hardship.

Nergül Alihan, one of the families settling in Ahlat, said she was happy to have arrived in Türkiye and thanked those who had helped them.

“I had missed the sound of the call to prayer,” Alihan said, adding that they had been treated with great dignity and respect and received assistance with everything.

Polat Alihan also thanked President Erdoğan and state officials, saying he felt he had reunited with his homeland and flag.

85-year-old Behzat Rızaoğlu said the community had suffered greatly over the years but was grateful that Türkiye had opened its doors to them.

“Türkiye embraced us and treated us with respect. We suffered greatly. We have come to our homeland,” Rızaoğlu said.

Zerbiye Mirsalova, another resident, became emotional while describing the experience and thanked everyone who had helped the families.

Ahıska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, are a Turkic community originally from the Ahıska region of southern Georgia. They were forcibly deported by the Soviet government in 1944 and scattered across several countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Türkiye.

DAILYSABAH