Published November 12,2025

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Türkiye will “always stand by you,” the nation’s president on Wednesday told a delegation from a Turkish group rooted in Georgia’s Meskheti region, along the Turkish border.

“May God preserve our unity and solidarity,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Ziyatdin Ismihanoglu Kassanov, head of the World Union of Ahiska Turks, and his delegation at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, reaffirming Türkiye’s ongoing support for the Ahiska, or Meskhetian, Turks.

“We are closely following the issue of our Ahiska brothers’ return to their homeland and acquisition of citizenship,” he also said, referring to a Soviet-era deportation of the group.

“We pursue your just cause both bilaterally and through international organizations such as the Council of Europe and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS),” said the president.

Erdoğan praised the unity and resilience of Ahiska Turks across the world and called on them to preserve their identity, language, and faith while acting under the guidance of umbrella groups like the World Union of Ahiska Turks.

He also urged greater focus on strengthening family bonds and ensuring that youth remain connected to national and spiritual values.

Marking the 81st anniversary of the 1944 deportation of nearly 100,000 Ahiska Turks from their ancestral lands, Erdoğan described the tragedy as “a lasting wound in our hearts” and welcomed plans for an interactive exhibition on the exile to be co-organized with the Foreign Ministry.

The president also highlighted Türkiye’s ongoing humanitarian and citizenship support for displaced Ahiska Turks, particularly those affected by the war in Ukraine.

He noted that under public housing projects, 2,315 have been temporarily resettled in the eastern Turkish city of Elazığ, with 703 already housed in Bitlis, southeastern Türkiye, and that around 170,000 have received exceptional citizenship and over 150,000 long-term residence permits to date.

Kassanov thanked Erdoğan for his steadfast support, noting that the Turkish leader “has always stood by the Ahiska Turks.”

The delegation presented Erdoğan with traditional gifts, including a Caucasian papakha sheepskin hat, a khan’s robe, and a calligraphy panel bearing the Rabbi Yessir prayer.

Published November 15,2025

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared a message on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

In his message, Erdoğan expressed, “I sincerely congratulate the 42nd anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and I send my greetings and affection to my Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters on this extraordinary day.

We remember our heroic martyrs with mercy and our veterans with gratitude. We will never leave our national cause, Cyprus, alone and will continue to strengthen our solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people in all fields.”

Published November 15,2025

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With a career spanning global trade and diplomacy, Michael Lally has assumed his duties as the US Consul General in Istanbul, a city he has long cherished.

“Hello, I am Michael Lally, and I am honored to serve as the US Consul General in Istanbul. Much of my career has been devoted to strengthening trade and business ties between the US and countries around the world. Türkiye, in particular, holds a special place in my heart,” Lally said, sharing on Friday a personal message on the US social media company X.

He reflected on his long-standing connection to Türkiye.

“I first visited Türkiye with my fiancé in 1997. We traveled all over this beautiful country and enjoyed its world-famous hospitality. We rode on dolmus (minibus), we stayed in youth hostels, and learned our first words of Turkish. Next month, my wife Lilia and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary of our first meeting right here in Istanbul.”

Lally most recently served as Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs in Ankara and emphasized the strong economic ties between the two nations. “Turks and Americans are natural business partners. That’s why our trade has grown to over $40 billion, with much more room to expand,” he said.

Highlighting Türkiye’s culture and people, Lally said: “As a diplomat and as a visiting tourist, on many occasions, I’ve felt the true heart of Türkiye. Its warmth, its kindness, its energy, and the unmatched hospitality of its people.”

He also referenced US Ambassador Tom Barrack’s view of bilateral relations.

“As Ambassador Barak has said, the US and Türkiye have been friends, partners, and allies for decades. My priority is to build on that foundation, further deepening our people-to-people relationships and expanding our cooperation.”

“Istanbul’s rich history, culture, and energy have always inspired me, and I’m thrilled to be back. In the months ahead, I look forward to traveling across this vibrant city and the Marmara region, meeting partners, and together creating opportunities to pursue excellence together. It’s wonderful to be here,” Lally concluded.

Published November 14,2025

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Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday marked the 81st anniversary of the mass deportation of Meskhetian Turks from Georgia’s Ahiska (Akhaltsikhe/Meskheti) region, commemorating those who perished during the 1944 exile.

“We still feel in our hearts the pain of nearly one hundred thousand Ahiska Turks being deported from their ancestral homeland on Nov. 14, 1944,” Erdoğan said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

He said he prays for Allah’s mercy upon “our kinsmen who lost their lives,” adding that he shares the pain of all Ahiska Turks on the 81st anniversary of the exile.

In a written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry told how on Nov. 14, 1944, nearly 100,000 Meskhetian Turks were forcibly uprooted from their centuries-old homeland in the Ahiska region of the then-Georgian Soviet Republic-bordering Turkiye-and sent to remote areas of the Soviet Union.

Thousands died from hunger, cold, and disease during the harsh journey, it added.

“On the 81st anniversary of the deportation, we remember with sorrow this great tragedy and respectfully commemorate our brothers and sisters who lost their lives in exile,” the statement said.

It emphasized that despite immense suffering, the surviving Meskhetian Turks managed to preserve their identity, language, faith, and cultural traditions, passing them on to future generations.

Türkiye also reiterated its hope that the process enabling Meskhetian Turks to return to their ancestral homeland will be completed successfully.

1944 DEPORTATION

On Nov. 14, 1944, Soviet authorities accused residents of Akhaltsikhe, capital of the Meskheti region in southwestern Georgia, of “threatening state security.”

Within hours, more than 90,000 people-including women, children, and the elderly-were forcibly removed from their homes and loaded into cargo wagons.

The deportees were transported for over a month to remote parts of Central Asia, with around 17,000 dying on the way from hunger, cold, and disease, according to historians’ estimates.