Dear readers,
We were in our region Western Thrace with a delegation consisting of my friends in Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) Presidium.
We were happy to be in our homeland on the occasion of the working visit.
Our visit coincided with the 28 October OHI Day of our country Greece and the 29 October Republic Day of our motherland Turkey.
I witnessed the OHI celebrations, which recount the victory of our country as a result of the resistance it started by saying no to the Italian occupation, in Western Thrace again after many years of my childhood.
When I watched the official march in Komotini, I went back to my childhood years.
Stories about the resistance of our country against the Italian occupation and the perseverance and effort of our elders belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace to defend their country came to life again in my mind.
One day after OHI Day, our motherland had the 29 October Republic Day.
For many years, as ABTTF President, I have been participating in the Republic Day celebrations organised by various diplomatic missions of our motherland, including in Berlin, Brussels and Strasbourg.
Due to our working visit to Western Thrace, it was possible to participate in the celebration of the Turkish Consulate General in Komotini for the first time in our region.
At the celebration in Komotini, hosted by the Turkish Consulate General in Komotini, guests from not only Western Thrace, but also Kavala, Drama, Thessaloniki and different places would have come together in a hotel in Komotini as they do every year.
Together with the representatives of my country and my motherland, the Western Thrace Turks in our region, we were going to share the happiness of our motherland on this important day.
The celebration would take place on 28 October as the hotel where it was to be held was full on 29 October.
That’s how it was planned.
However, a few days before the celebration, a radio station broadcasting from Komotini said that, ‘‘It is provocative that the celebration due to the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye will be held on the anniversary of Greece’s 28 October OHI national holiday’’.
Then what happened had to happen!
A first in history happened!
The Consulate General changed the location and date due to threats that were directed at the hotel where the celebration was planned to be held.
Due to security concerns, the celebration could not be held at the hotel, on the specified date.
Our motherland celebrated the 29 October Republic Day in the garden of the Consulate General.
We joined the celebration, which was overshadowed by concerns about the security threat created at a time when provocative rhetoric was on the rise, and we celebrated the Republic Day of our motherland together.
Our country celebrated the Republic Day of our motherland with a message published on the social media accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With this message, our country has published this message with the intention of compensations for this unfortunate situation for the first time in the history of Greece due to these sad and worrying developments.
Indeed, that was what it had to do!
States are responsible for ensuring the security of diplomatic missions on their territory and taking the necessary measures in this respect.
Our country must have finally perceived the potential risk of provocative and hateful rhetoric against our motherland!
Increasing the tension in the region will not benefit anyone, on the contrary, it will bring harm!
And mostly, it would be the Turkish community in Western Thrace living in our region, the people of our region would be harmed more!
In order to create a political and media environment where a moderate and constructive language, not which escalates tension, prevails, our country must act responsibly and not allow any hate-based discourse and action!
Yours sincerely,
Halit Habip Oğlu
ABTTF President
