Should compatriots in Syria be evacuated?

Yesterday Syrian rioters issued President Bashar Assad an ultimatum giving his 48 hours for implementation of Kofi Annan’s plan on settlement of the situation in the country. The oppositionists explained that Assad must follow the plan, otherwise he should expect consequences. The character of consequences is not mentioned. However, it is obvious that the conflict in Syria has turned into serious consequences for civic citizens of Syria, including Russian compatriots.

“We know the number of Russian residents of Syria exactly: it is some 30,000, not counting their children and family members who have the right to obtain Russian citizenship, Albert Kazharov, Federation Council of Russia member, says. “The delegation worked in close cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and the Federal Migration Service. There were some urgent issues the delegation had to resolve and we got the necessary response from these two ministries at very short notice. As for meeting with the Circassian Charity Organization and the representatives of all the North Caucasian peoples it includes, who are our compatriots and who live in Syria now, of course they expressed their concern with the current political situation in the country. The status of our compatriots in different regions of Syria differs depending on the general state of affairs in the district. For example, our compatriots who live in the district of Homs have lost their possessions just like all other residents of the region, some of them have lost their documents, and many of them find themselves in quite a difficult position.”

“Not one of the compatriots who addressed us for help was left unnoticed and without help. Well, there is one case: unfortunately, this compatriot is the namesake of a terrorist. But I believe they’ll work it out, and we’ll be able to resolve this problem. I would like to express my special gratitude to the authorities of the Adygei Republic, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachayevo-Cherkessia who expressed their readiness to help. As I represent Kabardino-Balkaria in the Senate, I can assure you that today the republic is working on creating proper residences for the relocated people, the authorities also help them with their paperwork. Businessmen and public organizations also help these people. And if after today’s discussion we’ll move forward with this problem, I believe tens of thousands of our compatriots will be grateful. As for the media reports that express certain concerns about the compatriots returning from Syria, I would like to assure you that we’ve already had a similar experience in Adygei. And there are no cases of crimes or any violence from the part of the resettled compatriots there. They are all law-abiding people and Russian patriots, they love their historic motherland. I think we should be very careful not to offend the feelings of these people,” Kazharov said.

According to the journalist dealing with the North Caucasus issues, Maxim Shevchenko, the Circassian issue includes many various constituents, for example, the problem of attitude to history. “Discussion of fate of Mukhadzhirs, returning of their descendants to Motherlands are very important political affairs. First of all, I think it is ineffective to interlink Circassians fate with timely dramatic situations in Syria, which will end sooner or later. Circassians had never experienced any problems and humiliation in Syria. I also haven’t heard about humiliation and problems of Circassians in Jordan, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and other regions of the Middle East. When they were tragically forced to leave their motherland, peoples and governmental structure of this region accepted them. Today we have a timely crisis in Syria, and nobody can say what the end will be. I’m not sure the government of Assad will collapse, as it was in Libya. According to my sources in Syria, the government is firmly standing on its feet and controls the situation in general. The army is loyal to the president. I think Syria will cope with all difficulties and turn to political reforms which will take it into a new cycle of history. Therefore, when we discuss taking Circassians out of Syria, I think we play into the hands of those who want to show that the processes in Syria are inconvertible. There is no direct threat to Circassians in Syria today. There are problems in relations between Alawi and Sunni, between Sunni and Shiah, it also concerns Christians, who have a certain position, but not Circassians. Exaggeration of the situation might damage diplomatic efforts of Russia. At the same time, descendants of people who were forced to leave their native land have fair desire to return. But here several problems arise.

First. The situation in which these people have lived in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine is different culturally and politically from the Russian Federation. For example, in these countries it is normal to build a mosque on the land which you have bought legally. Now imagine: people, who get used to deal with normal legal dialogue with the state, normal property laws, buy land in Adygea or Karachay-Cherkessia and want to build a mosque. They will draw enormous attention of the investigation committee of Russia, the Federal Security Service, and many other structures, which will suspect them of vakhkhabism, Islamization, and other things, except for a normal attitude of people who see in it a natural right which they had in Turkey or Syria.

Second. Language. I think that the Russian language and its studying is not a discrimination rule, but a necessity of people. They will appear in a different cultural reality. I understand that Circassian organizations of the North Caucasus will provide them with help and people will feel comfort, but it is not always so. Contacts with the police and the traffic police, contacts with state bodies – they want to be citizens of not abstract Russia, but real Russia that exists in the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, Adygea, and so on. It is an important moment. I’m ready to contribute to organization of special courses on studying Russian by those who want to return.. Moreover, there is no nationalism in Syria. They have religious differences, but an Arab won’t think scorn of a Circassian only because he is an Arab, and the other is a Circassian. I haven’t met nationalism there. Religious wars, yes. But here, in Russia, nationalism is one of new factors which these people will have to face.”