ABTTF President: “We demand that Turkish manufacturers and enterprises in our region be taken into account and not excluded, without discrimination, in the implementation of the long-term plan for the economic development of Western Thrace. Only then can a total economic development be achieved in our region.”
In a statement, Chairman of the non-partisan Commission for the Development of Thrace established in the Greek Parliament in July 2020, and New Democracy Party (YDP) Deputy Dora Bakoyannis stated that they protected (Western) Thrace by supporting the region’s economy, businesses, and employees.
Referring to the North Macedonia and Thrace Development Plan introduced in Komotini in September 2022 in her statement, Bakoyannis emphasised that the main purpose of the Commission’s final report is to strengthen the competitiveness of businesses and products in the region. Bakoyannis noted that the Commission’s recommendations are being implemented step-by-step and that a concrete and long-term plan is being implemented that will change the region’s production model for the better.
“As it is known, the final report of the Commission for the Development of Thrace, which was accepted in November 2021, was a complete disappointment for the Turkish community in Western Thrace. As ABTTF, we participated in the online public consultation process of the Commission and conveyed our concrete proposals for the regional economic development of Western Thrace to the Commission, but these were not considered in the final report. In the opinion that we conveyed our suggestions, we compared our country to a ship and emphasised that if there is a crack in any part of the ship, the entire ship will sink over time. At this juncture, we call upon Bakoyannis once again and demand that Turkish manufacturers and enterprises in our region be taken into account and not excluded, without discrimination, in the implementation of the long-term plan for the economic development of Western Thrace, which she mentioned in her statement. Only then can a total economic development be achieved in our region”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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