Turkish businessmen of the Black Sea coast and members of the Diaspora recall that the journeys were comfortable and enjoyable. Chains of forced and sometimes semi-voluntary mass migrations formed the present day North Caucasian Diaspora in Turkey. Today, there are more Abkhazians in Turkey than in Abkhazia and more North West Caucasians than in the North West Caucasus. The Georgian-Abkhaz war helped to transform the Diaspora into a political factor in the context of relations between Turkey and Abkhazia. A modern, post-Cold War wave of cultural and political awareness has been developing among the Diaspora sustained by the increased cultural, political and economic relations with Abkhazia.

 

The full report in PDF can be downloaded by clicking here (578 KB)

 

Source: ORSAM

TEPAV - The  Economic  Policy  Research  Foundation  of  Turkey

ORSAM - Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies