Baku. As it were these Gagauz had almost never lived in their autonomous region, recognized in December 1994 by the Moldovan Parliament. They arrive in Azerbaijan far before that, at the time of Staline’s wave of deportations.

“Many of us were deported” remembers Günel, 67, native of Kangaz city. “It happened in 1948, we were packed in two carriages towards Baku. Once arrived, the families were settled next to a massive quarry in Mechtaxa a little village 25 km from Baku. There was no lack of work”, she said. At this day a widow, Günel acknowledge not having lived on in her people’s tradition. Only Gagauz language is left to her that she speaks but neither writes nor reads it.

Günel confirms that “many Gagauz people were moved in North Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkarie and in Dagestan, as well as in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.” Some preceded them at the beginning of the 20th century for economical reasons they migrated in Tchimbalatinsk Oblast south Kazakhstan and in Fergana valley Kyrgyzstan.

In her thirties, Gagauz, Güllü has a philology PhD from Baku University. She clear-cut that “under Kruschev, many Gagauz people from Azerbaijan returned to their land”. At the present time only a few twenty women are left in the State Capital Baku, as most of the babushkas have already married Azeri people. “Out side of Baku, they’d probably be three families in Deveç, north from the capital and one remaining in the centre of the country in Berde.”

Integration and incorporation was not a problem in Azerbaijan as well as in other Turkophone’s regions in Central Asia and in North Caucasus. “Gagauz language is part of the Turcik group such as Turkish, Turkmenish, Uzbek, Ouigur, Azeri, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tatarian, Karakalpak, Bashkir, Yakut and Chuvash”, recalls proudly Güllü before adding that their orthodox obedience did not “gave rise to any particularly difficulties in Azerbaijan.”

By her youth and atypical profile, Güllü is different from those seventy old deportees. She said “I arrived in 1992 in Baku” after having married a Turkish journalist in charge of Moldova’s cover for Azerbaijan‘s medias.

With some other young people she is part of this new and shy Gagauz generation. “Between 1986 and 1992, until the beginning of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Baku Universities invited fifty Gagauz students to follow literature, mathematics courses or even the police academy;” Ten of them would have stayed living in Azerbaijan.

Beyond Turkophone ethnicity, should we see though favoured relations between Baku and Komrat, Gagauz capital? Probably not. As an example at the same time and in such a way many other Moldovan students moved to Azerbaijan.

Remains the 28th December 1994 at the recognition to the administrative entity of Gagauz by the Moldovan parliament, Heidar Aliev, then president of Azerbaijan, “sent a congratulation letter to the Gaugauz”, enhance Güllü delighted.

At the end of 2004 a Moldovan presidential delegation to Baku have not forgotten to bring with it Giorgi Talbalshik who is no less then “Bashkan” (official representative of Gaugauz). A gesture to make good figure to the Azerbaijan’s authorities. Hence being a Turkophile is a fact as it is on the political scene.

In her way Güllü contributes to this task. Last January she defended her thesis on “Gagauz everyday glossary.” She keeps on saying that “most of the terms come from Arab, Farsi, Greek and as well from Russian “, “But I wanted to demonstrate that actually some terms were from Turkish, such as the word “aabba” (coat) until now considered as Arabic originally. Before hand this Turkish language transposed in Cyrillic alphabet, is now in Latin since 1995, as it is for Moldovan. “Nowadays all the young generation write in Latin when the elder in Cyrillic”, confirms Güllü.

Gagauz language, the ultimate recognition of a population with no real political power is celebrated every year with great ceremony. Güllü tells us that “Ana Dilli’s day is celebrated in each Gagauz home on the 31st August”. She just has finished publishing the first Azeri-Rumanian dictionary. She would like to keep on further though. Why not founding a Gagauz cultural centre in Baku for example?

On the spot in Gagauz, its language is still present through Medias. While taking one year with another under economical slump in Moldova, some editions survive in Gagauz : four newspapers in Gagauz (Ana sosu, Gagaz sesi, Hal Birlii and Acic goz) and two magazines (Sabaa yildizi et Gunescik). In Chisinau the Moldovan capital, two other magazines (Gagouz et Kirlangac) are published as well by Gagauz people.

A couple of audiovisual programs are broadcasted by the State channel Teleradio Moldova in Gagauz to respect its national minority. Additionally there would be a couple of symbolic hours dedicated in Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Russian, Yiddish and Gypsy.

With a good sense of mockery, Güllü precises that “if there is in Gagauz a local Gaugaz channel, only the inhabitants of Komrat, the capital can intercept it.”