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Scandal: In the Turkish village of Glafki, soldiers are on the street!

13.08.2020

ABTTF President: “I ask  the EU and the German Presidency of the EU  Council: What will you do against such trampling on human and minority rights, threatening the safety of its citizens in an EU member country by taking soldiers into the streets?”

On August 12, 2020, in Gökçepınar (Glafki), one of the Turkish villages in Western Thrace, a military unit affiliated to the 4th Corps in İskeçe(Xanthi) carried out a military exercise and training on the streets of the village. The exercise and training of armed and equipped commandos on the streets and nearby the cemetery frightened the Turks living in the village. 

In a period when there is an increased concern of hot conflict between the kin-state Turkey and Greece due to the political tensions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, residents and kids of the village had a great fear when they faced with armed soldiers on the streets when they left their homes in the morning. 

According to Gündem, Rıdvan Delihüseyin, Mayor of Mustafçova(Myki), confirmed the military exercise and further stated that no information was given to the people of the village about the exercise and military training.

Another news source from the region, Birlik reported that there was also military activity yesterday in Şahin (Echinos), another Turkish village in Xanthi. According to the information received, military vehicles came to the entrance of the village and left after being deployed here for a while.

Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe(ABTTF) made the following statement: “It is a real scandal that the commando unit came to a Turkish village in Glafki and carried out armed exercises and training on the streets and nearby the cemetery! It’s a huge scandal! In which country can military units come to the streets in a settlement where civil citizens live and do armed training? Besides, this is a Turkish village! In a period when we are concerned about the possibility of a hot conflict between our homeland and our country due to the political tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, for whom does our country wants to send its soldiers by taking them to the streets in the region where we have lived for centuries? For us or for our motherland? We are citizens of this country! At a time  when bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey are tensed, it is unbelivable to scare the Turkish  community in Western Thrace by sending soldiers out to the streets in a Turkish village! It is very scary to experience these in  a country member of the EU founded on democracy and human rights! At this point, as a member of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and ABTTF President, I ask the EU and the German Presidency of the EU Council: What will you do against such trampling on human and minority rights, threatening the safety of its citizens in an EU member country by taking soldiers into the streets?”

*Image: www.gundemgazetesi.comwww.birlikgazetesi.org

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