Ankara: Trkiye on Friday marked the 81st anniversary of the mass deportation of Meskhetian Turks from Georgia's Ahiska region, paying tribute to those who lost their lives during the 1944 exile.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Foreign Ministry issued a written statement detailing the events of Nov. 14, 1944, when nearly 100,000 Meskhetian Turks were forcibly uprooted from their ancestral homeland in the Ahiska region of the then-Georgian Soviet Republic. The deportation saw the community sent to remote areas of the Soviet Union, resulting in thousands of deaths from hunger, cold, and disease during the arduous journey.

The statement expressed sorrow over the tragedy and honored the memory of those who perished in exile. It highlighted the resilience of the surviving Meskhetian Turks, who preserved their identity, language, faith, and cultural traditions through the generations.

Trkiye reaffirmed its hope that the process enabling Meskhetian Turks to return to their ancestral homeland will be completed successfully, ensuring a connection to their historical roots.

The deportation of 1944 saw Soviet authorities accusing residents of Akhaltsikhe, the capital of the Meskheti region, of threatening state security. More than 90,000 people, including women, children, and the elderly, were removed from their homes and transported in cargo wagons to Central Asia. Historians estimate around 17,000 died from hunger, cold, and disease during the month-long journey.