Western Thrace Turkish Delegation attended the UN Forum on Minority Issues
Western Thrace Turks were represented at the Forum by the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) and the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF). WTMUGA was represented by Human Rights Experts Kerem Abdurahimoğlu and Meltem Giritli and ABTTTF was represented by Melek Kırmacı.
In the forum where the issue of participation and inclusion of minorities in economic and social life was discussed, the Western Thrace Turkish Delegation took the floor and expressed the problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. Taking the floor in the second session of the forum titled "Economic Empowerment", WTMUGA addressed the problems experienced by the Western Thrace Turks in the economic field and drew attention to the sharp development gap between the Greek settlements and the Turkish settlements in the region. In the same speech, WTMUGA also mentioned the building problem in Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School.
In the first session of the Forum entitled "Minorities and Societies in Cohesion: Equality, Social Inclusion and Socio-Economic Participation", ABTTF expressed the problems of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace in the field of education.
After the forum, the WTMUGA delegation met with Mr Nikolas Levrat who was newly appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on Minorities. The delegation wished the Special Rapporteur on Minorities success in his new position and gave information about the problems of Western Thrace Turks.
