In Russia, Caucasian scientists set up working group on "Circassian issue"

The participants of the conference "Circassian issue: historical memory, historiographic discourse and political strategy", held in Moscow at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations (known as MGIMO), agreed to set up a working group of Caucasian scientists, "which will consider all approaches to the 'muhajirun' problem, offer ways to address it and formulate concrete proposals that could contribute to decreased acuteness of political tension around the Circassian issue."

"Without trying to forecast the outcome of this activity, we note here that we consider its final result as a part of a larger work aimed at strengthening the Russian civil nation and solution of inevitably arising controversies in the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and constructive cooperation and dialogue," reads the communiqué drafted by the participants conference.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 24 the Moscow MGIMO hosted a conference "Circassian issue: historical memory, historiographic discourse and political strategy". The event was divided into two thematic sections. The first one discussed the historical past of Circassians, while the second was on the modernity. The moderators of the debates were Naima Neflyasheva, senior collaborator at the Centre for Civilization and Regional Studies and author of the blog "Northern Caucasus through centuries" on the "Caucasian Knot", and Nikolai Silaev, head of the NGO "Caucasian Cooperation" and senior scientific employee of the Centre for Problems of the Caucasus and Regional Safety of the MGIMO.