ABTTF participated at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw

Nabi İbrahimcik, Vice President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and Melek Kırmacı, International Relations Director participated at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) in Warsaw, capital of Poland. At the meeting where the Turkish community in Western Thrace was represented by ABTTF and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) representatives of these organizations raised problems they encounter in different fields.

ABTTF took the floor at the session on tolerance and non-discrimination on 14 September and stated that right of the Turkish community in Western Thrace to elect their own religious leaders was usurped by the Greek state and added that the Greek state tries to increase the control on the Turkish community in the with the 240 Imams Law which is in practice since 2013.

ABTTF reported hate-motivated attacks against the Western Thrace Turkish community on 15 September and noted the attack on Golden Dawn members during commemoration ceremony at the death anniversary of Dr. Sadık Ahmet, the leader of the Turkish community in Western Thrace. As a recent development, ABTTF brought up to the agenda the explanation by Vasilis Levendis, President of the Central Union Party at Thessaloniki International Trade Fair in which he implied Western Thrace Turks as a national threat and commented that the hate discourses in political field about Western Thrace Turks reveals the real situation in the country.

On the same day ABTTF conveyed the problems of Western Thrace Turkish community in the field of education. Within this framework ABTTF made criticism about the lack of bilingual kindergartens within the system of minority education with its autonomous status, closure of minority primary schools on grounds of pupil number and appointments which would be made as religious teachers to the public schools within the implementation of the 240 Imams Law.

Pervin Hayrullah and Onur Mustafa Ahmet who participated at the meeting on behalf of WTMUGA conveyed problems of Western Thrace Turks in different issues like Mufti issue and the foundations, hate crimes against the Turkish community and educational problems in general terms. Besides, Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association which participated at the meeting raised problems of the Turks in Rhodes and Kos. Greece which enjoyed the right of reply in each session repeated the argument that its official use of the “Muslim minority in Thrace” which defines the Turkish minority on its religious background and objected to the criticisms made in speeches delivered by ABTTF and WTMUGA. Greece claimed that the Turks in Rhodes and Kos are not Turks but Muslims and argued that the ones residing on these islands have their cultural and religious rights on the basis of Greek citizenship.