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Western Thrace Turkish delegation attended OSCE conference

18.10.2021

The Western Thrace Turkish delegation which was comprised of ABTTF and WTMUGA representatives explained the violation of the freedom of assembly of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the ECtHR judgments as regards the Western Thrace Turkish associations which Greece has not executed for the past 13 years. 

The Turkish community in Western represented by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) attended the conference titled “ODIHR: 3 decades and ready for the future: Democracy, human rights and security in the OSCE” organised in a hybrid format by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on 14-15 October 2021. 

Deniz Servantie from ABTTF and Human Rights Experts Expert Kerem Abdurahimoğlu from WTMUGA attended the conference which was organised at the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) jointly by OSCE/ODIHR, Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship and host country Poland. 

OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions, intergovernmental institutions and representatives from civil society organisations along with researchers attended the conference. In the conference which began with the opening remarks of OSCE/ODIHR Director Matteo Meccaci, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Anna Lind and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Szymon Sękowski vel Sęk, ODIHR’s last 3 decades was assessed and challenges regarding the new period were tackled. 

Taking the floor during the session titled “Promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms together” on 15 October, ABTTF indicated that Greece denies the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and that associations bearing the word ‘Turkish’ are not allowed and further noted that that the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as regards the Xanthi Turkish Union which was closed in 1986 has not been executed by Greece for the past 13 years.  ABTTF further called upon Greece to immediately execute ECtHR judgments as regards the Western Thrace Turkish associations and to ratify the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Intervening in the same session, WTMUGA noted that the Greek Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos) recently rejected XTU’s appeal for the restoration of its official legal entity and further stated that the decision of the Court of Cassation denied the freedom of association of the members of XTU which constitutes the oldest association of the Turkish community in Western Thrace. WTMUGA called upon the OSCE to encourage Greece to recognise the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and respect ECtHR judgments. 

Using its right of reply, the Permanent Representation of Greece to the OSCE indicated that Greece only recognises a “Muslim minority” in Western Thrace, adding that the minority has many rights and is not discriminated against.


 

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