Discussion of "Circassian issue" should be depoliticized, say participants of conference in Nalchik

The discussion of the "Circassian issue" should be transferred into the scientific and historical context and depoliticized, said Barazbi Karamurzov, the Rector of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU), at an international conference held in Nalchik. Victor Chernous, a researcher of the Caucasus, has added that historians should take part in discussing "ambiguous issues".

The international scientific conference "Adygs (Circassians): History and Modernity" was hosted on April 25-26 in Nalchik by the KBSU. Its aim was to try "to develop coherent and scientifically verified approaches to studying the most complex and dramatic pages in the history of Circassians, which are still controversial," said Barazbi Karamurzov.

According to his story, the self-identification of the Circassian ethnos is based on perception of the fact that most of the nationals live outside their historical homeland. However, one should not forget that the modern "Circassian issue" exists in the conditions of geopolitical rivalry; and isolating it from external influences is impossible.

For many carriers of the Russian state consciousness the "Circassian issue" is a manifestation of the ethnic nationalism and a potential threat to Russia's stability and integrity, believes Karamurzov.

"Both Russia and Circassians should seek ways to achieve their goals within the global process of change. If their strategy and tactics rest on these trends, the form of solving the Circassian issue may become acceptable," he concluded.