200 participants from 30 countries met at Danish-German border for FUEN Congress
At the Congress, Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was represented by ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party
Delegation of Western Thrace Turkish Minority participated in 59. Congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) on 7-11 May 2014. Co-hosted by umbrella organization of the Danish minority of Germany, Sydslesvigsk Forening (SSF) and the German Minority of Denmark Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger (BDN) in German-Danish border region, the FUEN Congress participants in representation of Turkish Minority of Western Thrace included Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President and FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip Oğlu, ABTTF Vice-Presidents Cengiz İsmail and Engin İsmail, ABTTF General Director K. Engin Soyyılmaz, Representative of Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party Sinan Molla and Representative of Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association(WTMUGA)Aysel Homko. Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kaymakçı has for the first time participated at this year’s FUEN Congress.
Including high level politicians, minority representatives and experts in total 200 participants from 30 countries attended the Congress.
Recent developments and situation of minorities in Ukraine and Crimea were on agenda
At the opening ceremony on 8 May, Special Advisor of the Ukrainian MP and the former President of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Jemilev, Ahmet Özay gave a speech. At the session dedicated to minority policy in Ukraine and Crimea, Ahmet Özay on behalf of Ukrainian Mustafa Jemilev, Wladimir Leysle from the Council of the Germans in Ukraine and Ernst Kudusov from Crimean Karaites discussed the recent developments.
Symposium on European minorities and European elections
On the second day of the Congress, which corresponded to 9 May Europe Day, a symposium on European minorities and European elections was organized in cooperation with Minority House, one of the projects of FUEN, in Sonderborg, Denmark. Prime Minister of the State Schleswig-Holstein Torsten Albig gave opening speech of the symposium. Demands of the European minorities on European elections to take place on 22-25 May 2014 were discussed by Minister for Education, Training and Employment in German-speaking Community of Belgium Oliver Paasch, Minister of Health, Sports, Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of South Tyrol and FUEN Vice-President Martha Stocker, ECMI Director Tove Malloy, Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of CDU/EPP in Schleswig-Holstein Reimer Börge, Danish deputy and former member of the European Parliament Eva Kjer Hansen, former Member of the European Parliament Jens-Peter Bonde and European Dialogue Forum’s spokesperson Jens A. Christiansen.
The resolution on “240 Imams Law” has been adopted at FUEN Assembly of Delegates
132 delegates representing FUEN member organizations participated at the Assembly of Delegates on 10 May. The resolution on “240 Imams law” submitted commonly by ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party has been adopted with overwhelming majority of votes.
Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association has been approved as new FUEN member
At the Assembly of Delegates, in addition to Federal Lezgin National and Cultural Autonomy, in representation of Lezgin minority, and ProDG on behalf of the German speaking community of Belgium, Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association has been approved as new FUEN member.
2015 FUEN Congress is in Western Thrace!
At FUEN Assembly of Delegates, FUEN President Hans-Heinrich Hansen, along with the video screening on FUEN’s work on Western Thrace, announced next year’s FUEN Congress will be hosted by delegation of Western Thrace Turks, ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party, in Western Thrace.
