Self-Determination of the Nations of the North Caucasus
Adel Bashqawi
February 1, 2024
Obviously, Circassia is one of the nations of the North Caucasus that has an interest in moving forward towards achieving its legitimate goals, and therefore of these peoples and nations. They have been exploited, their homelands destroyed, their resources plundered, and their homelands controlled for decades by the colonial state that assumed it was their guardian. The Russian Empire invaded, annihilated and displaced the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus as a result of its brutal conquests, and ultimately annexed them to an unparalleled oppressive and hateful colonial entity.
At no time was there any common resemblance between Russia and the Circassian nation. This also applies to the relationship between the Russian state and other peoples and nations of the North Caucasus. Concretely, there are generally no common relationships, interests and/or values between the imperialists and the indigenous peoples and nations of the Caucasus. They do not even share a common history and/or racial and ethnic origins, language, culture, belief or goals. On the contrary, the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus originated in the same region and lived there for thousands of years.
The peoples and nations of the North Caucasus have existed and developed for thousands of years, and it has been proven that their languages and cultures preceded or were contemporary with cultures that preceded them or were contemporary with ancient languages and cultures such as the Mesopotamian, the Pharaohs, the ancient Greeks, and others. However, the innovative Russian entity is approximately a thousand years old, while the current Russian language is 1,200 years old. Note that the areas of the Russian entity fell under the yoke of occupation of the Golden Horde and the Mongols in the thirteenth century for the following hundreds of years.
Key Role of the Nations of the North Caucasus
There is a pivotal role to play for the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus. Circumstances require to act according to practicality. It will not be possible to move forward without performing this duty. Desire and indeed the current stage and the common collective interest of the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus require active and positive action in the regional and international arenas. The joint move will be beneficial to everyone in terms of presenting what the nations of the Caucasus aspire to, in regard to restoring the freedom, independence and national sovereignty.
This would create the conditions for the recognition of genocide and legitimate rights. Accordingly, they will be able to regain their usurped, even sovereign, rights. It can only be achieved by ending the hateful occupation and eliminating the repercussions of genocide. As well as obtaining independence for all occupied nations without exception. The chronic occupation has led to the forced displacement of most of the population and illegal annexation. This caused a forced demographic change and has changed the demographic character of the region.
The following paragraph, fully applies to the situation of the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus: “Colonization is the practice of domination. Colonization is when a country violently invades another and claims the land as its own. New inhabitants move in and forcibly push out, control and oppress people who are indigenous to the land. Not only is land stolen in the colonization process but the colonizers also steal much of the indigenous people’s culture.”[1]
“In 1960, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (General Assembly resolution 1514 {15}), known also as the Declaration on Decolonization. By this resolution, the General Assembly, considering the important role of the United Nations in assisting the movement for independence in Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories, solemnly proclaimed the necessity of bringing colonialism in all its forms and manifestations to a speedy and unconditional end, and in this context, declared, inter alia, that all people had a right to self-determination.”[2]
This joint move will be beneficial to everyone in terms of presenting what the Caucasus nations aspire to to the parties that could be a party to calling on the international community to recognize the rights of the peoples and nations of the Caucasus, through the application of international laws and norms.
For these goals, the delegations and representatives of the numerous groups and organizations of the nations of Circassia, Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, which participated on November 8, 2023, in the North Caucasus Conference, held in Brussels at the European Parliament, agreed to discuss ways to coordinate and struggle to restore freedom, legitimate rights and their nations’ statehood status aimed at a decent life for their nations in their homelands. Therefore, the “Committee for the Restoration of the Statehood of the Nations of the North Caucasus,” was formed “to discuss and develop a consultative framework for the establishment of our independent nations under these above-mentioned principles.”[3]
Conclusion
- In conclusion, attention should be directed to the media, which in turn keeps public opinion informed of the activities and achievements. Efforts should be aimed towards ending common human tragedies that need to confront and overrule uncompromising Russian stubbornness. There are key issues that require the commitment of every serious and interested participant to work purposefully and bear responsibility for solving the tragedy of occupation. Displacement far away from homeland will eventually lead as a result, to helping achieve the goals assigned to this Committee.
- Realistic and effective move is needed for addressing the international community, especially the European Union and the United Nations, which must be one of the top priorities that must be taken to achieve the stated goals and make it a prime concern that must be undertaken. That will help to gain recognition of the usurped rights and the legal venues to restore the legitimate rights in accordance with the international laws and norms. This, in turn, will ultimately lead to creating the opportunity to agree on a federal or confederation that includes the nations of the North Caucasus after holding appropriate referendums for each of them, to obtain the required approval.
************************
References
[2] https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/about#:~:text=In%201960%2C%20the%20
