Personally, it is very one of the most important dates for me. I am ethnically a Crimean Tatar. My father side has migrated from Crimea to Turkey (or Aktopraklar) during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. My mother side was migrated in 1944 from Romania, Constanta. They also came to Turkey.

Although my family has not been directly affected by the Surgun on May 18, 1944, I always commemorate this date every year. On that date, all Crimean Tatars who live in Crimean has been forcefully deported from their homeland into Siberia, Uzbekistan, and other places in the former Soviet Union.

During the mass deportation, almost 50 percent of the Crimean Tatars perished. The Crimean Tatars all over the world has organized different activities and events. Of course, the most important and comprehensive events happen in Crimea. I am glad that since 1989, the Crimean Tatars have been returning to Crimea. Right now, they have reached almost % 12 of the Crimea population. This is a good news for the Crimean Tatar cause. But it is not enough.

As a member of the Crimean Tatar diaspora, I have been actively working on the Crimean Tatar Genocide (Surgun) issue. When I was in the USA during my education, I have attended the commemoration of the Surgun at the American Association of the Crimean Turks in Brooklyn, New York City. Also, we have visited a small but very powerful national monument that was erected at Washington Memorial Park on Long Island, New York. I had a chance to meet the leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mr. Mustafa Abdulcemil Kirimoglu during his visit in the United States in the late 1990s.

- What are prospective of the Crimean Tatar Genocide recognition worldwide?

The recognition of the Crimean Tatar Genocide is the key issue for all Crimean Tatars in the world. The Crimean Tatar Genocide (Surgun) is the cornerstone of the Crimean Tatar national identity. Unfortunately, the national identity of the Crimean Tatars is closely linked to this tragic event happened on 18th May 1944. If a person suffers from death of a close relative, we can categorized this as a tragic event or a trauma.

After a travmatic incident, a person usually go through a process of reconciliation. The rituals of reconciliation have utmost importance in human societies. A person should pass through different stages. Like a human being, an ethnic group may have suffered from some traumatic events like the Crimean Tatar Genocide (the surgun).

As a result, ethnic groups should heal and reconcile with their pasts. The reconciliation process include acknowledgement, mourning and forgiveness. In order to heal, sufferings and traumas of the ethnic groups should be acknowledged by the perpetrator. The recognition of the Crimean Tatar Genocide by the Russians is very important for reconciliation and healing of the Crimean Tatars. In my opinion, the prospective of the recognition of the Crimean Tatar Genocide is very slim because first the Russians should acknowledge their wrongdoings. After that, the Crimean Tatars can move to the other stages: mourning and forgiveness. There is a need for explicit acknowledgement and acceptance of moral responsibility of the Crimean Tatar Genocide. After that, the Crimean Tatars can move toward problem-solving and complete their reconciliation process.

The Crimean Tatars are a very proud nation. They don’t want outside forces to use their grievances about the Surgun into their political purposes. Also, they are not like other diasporas like Armenian diasporas that have had more effects on the major power foreign policy. The Crimean Tatars have unabled to raise their voice in international platform.

In short, I am not expecting the recognition of the Crimean Tatar Genocide in the short run. But like Serbia if Ukraine and Russia move toward the Western world and institutions like the European Union, it may open a door for them to face their past histories and wrongdoings like the Crimean Tatar Genocide. In short, the international pressure can play a key role to recognition of any genocide and massacre.

- Azerbaijani Diaspora is going to join commemoration event scheduled in New-York at 68th Anniversary of the Crimean Tatar Deportation. What kind of role may such kind events play in recognition of the Surgun?

I am very happy that our Azerbaijani friends are shoulders to shoulders with us and sharing our sorrow and pains. In addition, other nations that were deported during the 1944-45 period by the Stalin regime has been also supporting the Crimean Tatar cause. The Azerbaijani Diaspora also shares similar traumas and tragic events such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I think both nations can understand each other because they have similar experiences. I think this also helps for both diasporas and nations to go through the conflict resolution.