ABTTF conducts working visit to Brussels
Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), conducted a working visit to Brussels, the heart of the European Union (EU), on Tuesday, February 18.
Accompanied by Deniz Servantie from ABTTF’s Brussels Representative Office, Habipoğlu held meetings with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Iuliu Winkler (EPP, Romania) and Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew Europe, Bulgaria), both of whom have ties to minority communities in their respective countries.
Discussing Current Issues and Human Rights Violations
During the meetings, Habipoğlu provided an update on the latest developments in Western Thrace and Greece, focusing on the ongoing challenges faced by the Turkish community.
He highlighted the systematic rule of law violations in Greece, which have been criticized by the European Commission, the European Parliament, and leading international civil society organizations. In particular, he condemned Greece’s continued refusal to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings concerning the Bekir Usta and Others case group, despite 17 years of warnings from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
Habipoğlu also raised concerns about hate speech, stigmatization, and marginalization targeting the Western Thrace Turkish community in Greek politics and mainstream media. He noted that Turkish community representatives, including MPs in the Greek Parliament, have been publicly targeted.
Additionally, he addressed the challenges Turkish children face in accessing quality education, emphasizing the long-standing infrastructure issues at the Turkish Minority Secondary and High School in Xanthi. He pointed out that, despite the community’s demand for a new school building, the Greek government continues to shut down autonomous Turkish primary schools under the pretext of low student enrollment. The number of Turkish primary schools in Western Thrace has declined from 188 in 2011 to just 86 today.
The meetings also included discussions on potential joint initiatives within the European Parliament and future areas of cooperation.
