Our Minority should not be seen as a threat

Western Thrace problem was discussed in a TV programm ‘Our Voice’ on TRT-INT on 7 June. Halit Habipoğlu, chairman of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe, and Erol Kaşifoğlu, chairman of Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association, participated the programm and discussed the problems of Western Thrace Turks.

Political pressure is necessary for the 19th Article victims

Problems regarding 19th Article unfair implementations were mainly discussed during the programm. Halit Habipoğlu stated that political pressure was necessary to reimburse citizenship rights to the 19th Article victims, expressing the endless efforts of ABTTF to solve those problems. Habipoğlu said that for the first time a Turkish Deputy from Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) submitted a motion to the Foreign Minister of PACE, putting the issue on the agenda. Meanwhile, Boriss Cilevics, Latvian Parliamentarian, prepared a new motion and got signatures of 20 Parliamentarians. The issue will be put on the agenda this year by Cilevics.

Our country should give up seeing us as a threat

Habipoğlu stated that ABTTF membership to FUEN was realized as of last month and added that lobbying activities would continue. Habipoğlu said that Greece should give up seeing minorities as a threat which irritated minorities seriously. ‘Our people are from majority and minority. These people are Turkish, Macedonian, Ulah, Albanian, having Muslim, Orthodox, Katholic and Jewish beliefs. All of them work for the development of our country. In that sense, our country should give up seeing the minorities as a threat’ said Habipoğlu.

At the end of the programm, it was expressed that ABTTF was always ready to help the 19th Article victims and gave the contact numbers of ABTTF.