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Western Thrace Turkish delegation attended FUEN TAG’s 2nd thematic seminar

24.06.2021

The Western Thrace Turkish delegation composed of the representatives of ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party explained the rights violations suffered by the Turkish community in Western Thrace and its current problems.

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) and the Friendship Equality Party (FEP) Party, representing the Turkish community in Western Thrace attended the 2nd thematic seminar of the Working Group of Turkic Minorities/Communities (TAG) in the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) which was held online on 23 June 2021.

In the seminar which brought together Turkic minority and communities living in a vast region from the Balkans to the Caucasus, ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party representing the Western Thrace Turks, the Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER) representing the Rhodes and Kos Turks, the Public Organisation of Meskhetian Turks “VATAN” and the Public Union Of Meskhetian (Ahıska) Turks living in Azerbaijan “VATAN” representing the Meskhetian Turks, the Kosovo Youth Union Association representing the Turks living in Kosovo, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (QTMM) representing the Crimean Tatars, the Social Organisation for Fostering and Development of the Karachay-Balkar Traditions (Bars El) representing the Karachay-Balkars and the Ukrainian Gagauz Union representing the Gagauz living in Ukraine attended the seminar. 

The seminar began with an opening speech by FUEN Vice-President and FUEN TAG Spokesman Halit Habip Oğlu. Habip Oğlu reported on the developments related to FUEN and FUEN TAG since the first thematic seminar in March 2021 and the projects and activities that FUEN has carried out recently.

In the first part of the seminar, QTMM Representative and Crimean Tatar Community Coordinator Elvin Kadirov made a presentation on the Crimean Tatars. In his presentation, Kadirov explained the history of the Crimean Tatars, their exile during the Soviet Union and their struggle today and revealed information with respect to the work and activities of QTMM.

In the second part of the seminar, the participating organisations conveyed developments and current problems related to the Turkic minorities/communities they represent. In this context, on behalf of the Western Thrace Turkish delegation, FEP Party General Coordinator Fatih Hüseyinoglu and WTMUGA Vice-President İlhan Mehmet expressed the rights violations suffered by the Turkish community in Western Thrace and its current problems. The delegation referred to the interim resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted in June 2021 regarding the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases within the framework of freedom of association and said that the Committee of Ministers warned Greece which has not executed the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments regarding the associations of the Turkish community in Western Thrace for the past 13 years. Moreover, adding that the Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete, who had been elected freely by the Western Thrace Turks, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, indicated that this prison sentence violated freedom of expression and religion. 


 

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