Confederation of Balkan Rumelia Turks pay visit to Western Thrace
Sabri Mutlu, President of Balkan Rumeli Turks Confederation, Erhan Pekkan, President of Edirne Balkan Turks Federation, Macit Mutlu, Zürfeddin Hacıoğlu, İsmail Kocaköse and Cevat Sedes, executives of Confederation and Federation, organised a working visit to Western Thrace.
Starting their visit with İbrahim Şerif, Mufti of Komotini and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, the delegation visited the grave of Dr Sadık Ahmet, the late leader of Western Thrace Turks, and prayed.
The delegation then met with Consul General of Türkiye in Komotini Aykut Ünal, President of the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party Çiğdem Asafoğlu, President of the Western Thrace Turkish Teachers' Union Aydın Ahmet, President of the Komotini Turkish Youth Union Sedat Hasan, President of BAKEŞ Hüseyin Bostancı, Mufti of Xanthi Mustafa Trampa, President of the Turkish Union of Xanthi Ozan Ahmetoğlu, President of the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association Hüseyin Baltacı and minority institution managers.
The delegation was informed about the problems experienced by the Western Thrace Turks.
In the statement issued by the Confederation of Balkan Rumeli Turks and Edirne Balkan Turks Federation following the visit, it was pointed out that the positive developments in the rights of minorities in Turkey should be emphasised and it was stated that equal rights should be granted to the Turks living within the borders of Greece, who are recognised as a minority by international treaties. In the statement, it was underlined that the Turkish minority should be given the right to elect its own mufti and it was requested that the prevention, restriction and closure of the minority schools' right to education should be terminated as soon as possible and the problems in these schools should be solved.
