The deportation of ethnic groups of Russia is one of the most tragic events in the history of the Soviet Union for all 70 years of its existence. The massive deportation of peoples from the Caucasus, Baltic region and other territories of the Soviet state were not a single step, they had been carried out for several decades. It is a great historical picture, many parts of which need scientific consideration.
That is why today here representatives of scientific society and the mass media have gathered. The project under discussion is a joint project by RIA Novosti and Vestnik Kavkaza. The importance of the consolidation of scientific and the media efforts is in presenting the problem not only as an object for historic consideration, but also as a topic, which should touch people’s minds and hearts, especially of the generation, which was raised after dissolution of the Soviet Union and has no clear perception of the great and tragic events of the Soviet history.
A lack of information causes a lack of interest to the events of our common history. And it is not only the history of contemporary Russia, but also the history of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine. Each of these countries gives its own understanding of the events, which took place in the 1930-1950s. These circumstances demand consolidation of efforts for finding new forms of connecting scientific and promotion work.
In this context we should pay attention to the experience of Kazakhstan, where the Assembly of Kazakhstan Peoples consolidates all ethnic groups of the country. One of its priority directions is preservation of memory about repressed peoples, which appeared in the territory of Kazakhstan. They are Koreans, Chechens, Volga Germans. Forums held by Kazakhstan at the top level with participation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev are aimed at maintenance of tolerant and respectful attitude between peoples, which came to the country. At the same time, they focus attention at prevention of such events, when the whole ethnic group is considered as a betrayer by one person. Another positive example is Azerbaijan, where all residents of the country are called Azerbaijanis, as it is their common birthplace.
It should be noted that deportation for ethnic reasons was not created in the Soviet Union. In 1941 the US authorities sent to concentration camp citizens of Japanese origin at the West coast of America, there were about 120 000 people, and more than 60% of them had American citizenship. However, we shouldn’t search for examples in the country, which considers the role of the Soviet Union in the XXth century very subjectively.
To be stronger, consolidated internally, we need objective fair appraisal of those consequences, which followed the principle of joint responsibility. I think juridical appraisal of deportation was given in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, but establishing of a certain social opinion on this problem hasn’t been finished yet. I hope that our meeting will contribute to developing of a common position on historic importance of the USSR peoples.
Alexei Vlasov.
