Third FUEN Turkish Minorities / Communities Working Group Meeting was held in Berlin

The Third Meeting of the Federal Union of European Peoples (TUG) Turkish Minorities / Communities Working Group (TAG) was held in Berlin in Germany between 14-17 November 2016.The FUEN President Lorant Vincze attended the meeting that was held with the logistical support of the FUEN Working Group of German Minorities (AGDM) in the Federal German Interior Ministry’s Work Building.

Kosovo and Bulgarian Turks attended the meeting for the first time

The meeting brought together Turkish minorities living in different European countries and Western Thrace Turkish Minority represented by Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Friendship and Peace Party (DEB),Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (BTAYTD). To the meeting also participated representatives of The Society of Meskhetian (Ahiska) Turks Vatan in Azerbaijan,the International Society of Meskhetian (Ahiska) Turks from Moscow, The Social Organization for Fostering and Development of the Karachay-Balkar Traditions Bars El,the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and the Association of Crimean Karaites Krymkarailar.In addition, Kosova Youth Union Association from Kosovo and Bulgarian Turks attended the meeting for the first time to represent Turkish minorities in Balkans.

FUEN President Lorant Vincze listened to the problems of Turkish minorities and communities and gave the message of support as FUEN

FUEN TAG’s 3rd Annual Meeting greeting speech delivered by FUEN’s Vice President Halit Habip Oğlu. Then, FUEN President Lorant Vincze informed the participants about the activities of FUEN and he exppressed that FUEN will continue to support Turkish minorities and communities. The FUEN TAG member institutions’ representatives thanked to the FUEN for its support and had the opportunity to transfer the problems they faced in the countries they lived directly to the President of FUEN and prospectively expressed their expectations from the FUEN.

FUEN Berlin Office / FUEN AGDM Coordination Officer Eva Adel Penzes also participated to the meeting and transferred the works of FUEN AGDM.

Participants shared mother tongue education right and the problems they faced in it

Participant associations transferred the developments they experienced in their minorities / communities over the past year. The president of Kosova Youth Union Association from Kosovo Cengiz Kovaç and Kardzhali Turkish Culture and Art Association from Bulgaria Seyhan Hilmi Mehmet who both of them are not yet a FUEN member, they introduced the Turks who live in Kosovo and Bulgaria and they conveyed the problems they faced in the countries they lived in.

Mother toungue learning and Education in the mother tongue session, the press counselor of The Society of Meskhetian (Ahiska) Turks Vatan in Azerbaijan Mevlüt Işık, General Secretary of BTAYTD Mehmet Mehmet, Elvin Kadyrov from the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People made presentations on education in the mother tongue.After that, the participants conveyed the problems they faced in their countries they lived regarding the learning of mother tongue and education in the mother tongue and shared their works they carried out for the protection of mother tongue and mother tongue education as civil society representatives.

FUEN TAG Regulation has been accepted with a vote of unity

The FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip Oğlu delivered a presentation about in FUEN 2016 regulation changes and workgroup regulations. After the presentation, regulations prepared by FUEN were read one by one and presented to the participants for approval. As a result of the evaluation, FUEN TAG regulation was unanimously accepted. The meeting was ended after the participants' opinions and proposals and and the discussion of the activities the road map for the year 2017.