ANKARA

A total of 88 Ahiska Turks living in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, where the war with Russia continues, were transferred to Türkiye via Russia and Georgia on the initiative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

"Our 88 Ahiska brothers, who were stuck in the city of Kherson in Ukraine, were brought to our country through Russia and Georgia upon our initiatives. Welcome to your homeland!" Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter early Sunday.

Türkiye will continue to stand by Ahiska Turks wherever they are, Cavusoglu added.

The Ahiska Turks, mostly elderly and children, set off from Kherson on Oct. 31 to come to Türkiye via Russia.

The World Union of Ahiska Turks also thanked Türkiye for its help.

Ahiska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, were expelled from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944.

They also faced discrimination and human rights abuses before and after the Soviet deportation.