ABTTF on a working visit in Brussels

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) paid on 15 June 2016 a working visit to the European Union (EU) capital Brussels. Accompanied by the ABTTF Brussels Office, ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu met with the Director of the European Free Alliance (EFA) Günther Dauwen and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) József Nagy (Slovakia/EPP), Herbert Dorfmann (Italy/EPP), Iuliu Winkler (Romania/EPP) and Tatjana Zdanoka (Latvia/The Greens/EFA).

Problems of and recent developments of concern to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in Greece highlighted

The ABTTF delegation first met with the Director of EFA Günther Dauwen at the ABTTF Brussels Office. During the meeting which was also attended by Eva Petkovic from the Centre Maurits Coppieters (CMC) affiliated with EFA, cooperation opportunities and common working topics between ABTTF, EFA and CMC were discussed.

During the first-ever meeting with the MEP József Nagy at the EP, who belongs to the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and is a member of the EP Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages, ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu presented him the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, its problems and activities of ABTTF at international platforms to aid in obtaining solutions for its problems. During the meeting with the MEP Herbert Dorfmann who belongs to the German minority in Italy in his office, ABTTF President Habip Oğlu provided him with information on the latest developments with regard to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace.

During the meeting with the MEP Iuliu Winkler who belongs to the Hungarian minority in Romania, ABTTF President Habip Oğlu addressed to the provocative actions of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in the Turkish minority villages in Western Thrace, which purposed to frighten and intimidate the Turkish minority. Habip Oğlu stated the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace has been facing serious problems in education, adding the Greek authorities reject the request of the Turkish minority for opening bilingual kindergartens where the instruction will be both in Turkish and Greek languages. Habip Oğlu also added the three branch offices of the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) were closed down by the decision of the Mayor of Komotini on the grounds that they were operating “unauthorized nurseries”, and for this reason, a criminal proceeding was opened against the members of the WTMUGA Executive Board.

Lastly, the ABTTF delegation met with the MEP Tatjana Zdanoka who belongs to the Russian community in Latvia. During the meeting, ABTTF President Habip Oğlu thanked her for submitting with her two other colleagues a written question entitled “Non-execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by Greece” to the European Commission and thus for her support for the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. In reply to Habip Oğlu, Zdanoka noted within the European Union (EU), Greece and France are the two Member States with the worst records with regard to the minority rights.