When did Kogalniceanu proclaim Romania 's independence from the Ottoman Empire ?
The Ottoman Empire wanted to break down the barrier between Anatolian Muslims and Caucasian Muslims and to ‘ consolidate the unity between kindred nations . ’ The Ottoman Empire ’s special tasks in the Caucasus , Rauf Bey reassured , reflected links between the Empire and the Caucasian peoples that were " ... not only historical and geographical , but rather ones of blood , flowing from their common past . "