Western Thrace Turks are at the FUEN 2017 Congress

“Minority SafePack Initiative” was addressed as the main theme at the congress in all its aspects where ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party attended as representatives of the Western Thrace Turkish community.

Western Thrace Turks participated at the 62nd annual congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities(FUEN) held in city of Cluj Napoca/Kolozsvár/Klausenburg in Romania on 17-21 May 2017. At the congress hosted by FUEN member organization Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) and Friendship, Equality and Peace Party (FEP Party) represented the Western Thrace Turkish community together. Halit Habip Oğlu, ABTTF President and FUEN Vice- President, Sebahattin Mümin And Mustafa Kasap, ABTTF Vice Presidents, K. Engin Soyyılmaz, ABTTF Head Office Manager, Mutlu Osman Mustafa, FEP Party Vice President and Onur Mustafa Ahmet, member of WTMUGA attended the congress where more than 300 minority representatives and guests from various countries of Europe participated and more than 50 journalists followed.

Representing Rhodes and Kos Turks, Prof. Mustafa Kaymakçı, the President of Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROİSDER) and Atıl Hacımenni, member of the association also participated at the congress. At the FUEN Assembly of Delegates held within the framework of the congress the resolution about political deterrence and intimidation practices against members of the Turkish community in Western Thrace was adopted unanimously.

The Turkish community in Western Thrace was promoted at the traditional “Minority Market”

At the traditional minority market held on the first day of the congress where cultures of the minorities within FUEN were promoted, ABTTF at its booth presented the Turkish community living in Western Thrace, Greece to the participants. Participants who visited ABTTF’s booth which attracted intensive attention were given information about the culture and problems of the Western Thrace Turks accompanied by brochures.

“Minority SafePack Initiative”, general minority protection in Europe and cultural autonomy were discussed as the major topics at the congress

In the first panel session of the congress which started officially with opening remarks of Lorant Vincze, President of FUEN, the European Citizens Initiative named “Minority SafePack” which offers a protection mechanism for national minorities in Europe wide and one million signatures campaign were addressed. In the second panel session where contribution of the local minorities to European cultural heritage was tackled by the keynote speaker Tibor Navracsics, the EU Commissioner for Education, Culture and Sports underpinned the issue of importance of minority communities in Europe in protection and sustaining of local cultural heritage. And at the panel organized in cooperation with Glasgow University where practices of national-cultural autonomy and challenges confronted in today’s Central and Eastern Europe were discussed, it was stated that in order for each national minority to protect its own identity and culture it requires appropriate tools for its own special need and necessities and accordingly there are different autonomy models are available in different countries if Europe.

On 18 May, Thursday one minute’s silence was observed on the occasion of 73rd anniversary of Crimean Tatars’ exile by Soviet Union in 1944. And on Friday night 19 May, at the gala dinner hosted by Hungarian minority in Romania, Minority SafePack Initiative (MSPI)signature campaign was started officially.

Representatives of the Turkic minorities and communities convened at the meeting in the congress

FUEN Working Group of Turkic Minorities/Communities (TAG) convened at the meeting held with the initiative of ABTTF which carries out the secretariat of FUEN TAG and under the chairmanship of Halit Habip Oğlu, ABTTF President and FUEN Vice President. Western Thrace Turks, Rhodes-Kos Turks, Ahıska(Meskhetian) Turks, Kosovo Turks, Gagauzian Turks, Crimean Tatars and Crimean Karaites representatives attended to the TAG meeting

Draft resolutions introduced by Western Thrace Turks and Rhodes-Kos Turks adopted unanimously

Draft resolution on “Political deterrence and intimidation against the members of the Western Thrace Turks in Greece” presented by ABTTF, WTMUGA and FEP Party as “Western Thrace Turks” delegation and the draft resolution condemning deportation of Prof. Mustafa Kaymakçı, President of ROİSDER from Greece in August 2016 were adopted unanimously at the FUEN 2017 Assembly of Delegates on Saturday, 20 May 2017.

FUEN 2019 Congress will be organized in Ukraine and EUROPEADA 2020 will be organized in Austria

It was decided at FUEN 2017 Assembly of Delegates that annual FUEN Congress in 2019 will be organized in Ukraine hosted by minority organizations among which there is also Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people (KTMM). And FUEN 4th European Minorities Football Championship “EUROPEADA 2020” will be organized in the region of Carinthia in Austria hosted by Slovenian minority living in Austria. Besides, the organization of the Russian minority living in Estonia named Estonian Russian School was accepted as a regular member to FUEN with the votes of the delegates.