During HABITAT meetings, education and residential problems of Western Thrace Turks were discussed.

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) attented HABITAT meetings in Vancouver, Canada, between 18 and 23 June. ABTTF conveyed all structural, local authorities and education problems to world public opinion as 6 thousand representatives from all over the world participated the meetings.

In addition to political lobbying efforts about the problems of Western Thrace Turkish minority, Halit Habipoðlu, chairman of ABTTF, and Barýþ Hasan, Lobby Group and former secretary of Ankara Western Thrace Turkish Minority, attented United Nations HABITAT meetings to inform the international public and convey all structural, local authorities and education problems of Western Thrace Turkish minority to world public opinion.

“HABITAT has a very important role in the development problems of developing countries and in this framework, HABITAT is the right address to convey the structural, local authorities and educa-tion problems” said Halit Habipoðlu and continued as “ We had the opportunity to meet delegates from all over the world and as well we met the United Nations commissioners. During meetings, we told them the pressures that Greece imposed on Western Thrace Turkish Minority and human rights violations. Other problems like structural, local authorities and educational were also conveyed to the related parties. We got a promise from all the delegates and commissioners to boost our minority at national and international platforms.

Halit Habipoðlu called attention to the fact that United Nations has many conventions to protect cultural and human rights of the minorities and in this framework he continued as “Western Thrace is announced as socio economically least developed area of the European Union in the reports of the European Commission. Greece signed the United Nations conventions and as the following result, we can claim that the lobbying efforts in the framework of United Nations imply great importance for us.”

Barýþ Hasan mentioned the 19th Article of the Greek Citizenship Law during the meetings and he informed the related parties about the unjust treatment of Greece to the Western Thrace Turkish Minority as a result of the political implementation of the mentioned law.

HABITAT delegates were unable to keep their confusion and condemned the implementation when they were informed about the unjust treatment of Greece to the Western Thrace Turkish Minority members for 43 years. This unjust political implementation of Greece authorities victimized 80 thousand Western Thrace Turkish Minority members and their fraud has been cured yet although the mentioned law has been abolished.

UNESCO Canada Commissioner promised to boost ABTTF

Halit Habipoðlu indicated that the meetings were very positive and he emphasized their continuing effort to carry the problems of Western Thrace Turkish Minority on to international platforms.

“During our meeting, Bernard Combes, UNESCO Canada Commissioner, promised to support ABTTF specially in the framework of our minority’s education problems.” said Halit Habipoðlu.

Historical artifacts belonging to Turkish Culture should be protected

During the meetings, ABTTF also called attention to the problems of protecting historical artifacts belonging to Turkish culture in Western Thrace. Those historical artifacts carry great importance for the Western Thrace Turkish Minority cultural wealth but they are abolished ad dilapidated. Local au-thorities can not do anything due to financial scarcity and Greece does not take any precautionary action.

In 1996, ABTTF participated HABITAT meetings in Istanbul for the first time in spite of all objec-tions of Greece. After that participation, ABTTF became a member of United Nations’ non-governmental organizations. In 2004 ABTTF was invited formally to HABITAT Barcelona World City meetings.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environ-mentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all since its establishment in 1978.

UN-HABITAT contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. Its partners range from governments and local authorities to a wide international cross-section of Non-Governmental Organisations and civil society groups.