Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) in Geneva

ABTTF participated the first ECOSOC Human Rights Council Meeting

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated the first ECOSOC Human Rights Council Meeting in July 2007 after its ECOSOC membership.

United Nations (UN) ECOSOC Human Rights Meetings were held in Geneva between 11-18 June. ABTTF Representatives participated the first two days meetings and took important steps to enhance cooperation activities with other ECOSOC member NGOs. Reports prepared by UN repporters about human rights violations in the Human Rights Council Executive Committee member countries were presented. Barış Hasan, ABTTF Director of Research, together with the UN Permanent Representatives of countries participated Executive Committee Meeting.

International public get familiar with Western Thrace problems
ABTTF Representatives contacted NGO and government representatives to introduce the unfair situations due to the 19th Article. ABTTF Representatives encountered requests from representatives of European Union Member Countries to organize more international activities to tell the unfair situation due to 19th Article to the world public. Halit Habipoğlu, chairman of ABTTF, made a press release after the meetings and stated that Council Meetings were a great experience for them.

Problems of Western Thrace Turkish Minority will be on UN agenda

Following the meetings, representatives of ECOSOC member NGOs expressed their will to make cooperations to solve the problems stemming from 19th Article. Halit Habipoğlu stated that international interest during the meetings was satisfactory. Meanwhile, Habipoğlu also added that cooperation with other member NGOs would be enhanced and unfair implementations due to 19th Article would be told to the international public under UN roof.