YTB President meets with Western Thrace students at iftar

President of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Abdullah Eren, met with Western Thrace students for iftar in Edirne.

President of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) Abdullah Eren met with Western Thrace students studying in Edirne.

Western Thrace students studying in the city participated in the fast-breaking dinner organized by the Western Thrace Student Union at a facility by the Meriç River.

After the recitation of the Holy Quran and the recitation of Adhan (the call to prayer), the fasts were broken and prayers were said.

Speaking at the program, President of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) Abdullah Eren said that they were happy to meet with students from Western Thrace, the land of their ancestors, who were educated in Edirne.

Stating that they increased the number of scholarships they gave from Western Thrace, Eren reminded that students from all over Turkey are studying in Edirne.

“There is a big wave of immigration”

Emphasizing that there is a great migration wave from the Balkans, “We will not leave the Balkans empty. We will not reduce our population. Your work will also contribute to the relations between the two countries," Eren said.

We Will Understand Our Language Very Well

Underlining that they lived under difficult conditions in Western Thrace, “What makes us who we are is our language, religion, belief, traditions, customs, and self. At the center of this is our religion, and secondly, our language. Language is the carrier of culture. We will understand, speak and express our language very well” he said.

Mentioning that the kinsmen living in Western Thrace still cannot obtain some of their rights, Eren said that the spirit of Western Thrace should be kept alive and that students coming from there have important responsibilities.

You are the future of the Balkans

Stating that the spirit of Western Thrace should be kept alive, “You are studying in Turkey, each of you has a great responsibility on your shoulders. The State of the Republic of Turkey is with you with all its possibilities. You have good opportunities. Work with good motivation to evaluate them. I am sure you will finish your university and high school. But we will return to Western Thrace. We will not leave our country empty. There is a huge migration wave from the Balkans right now. We will not leave the Balkans empty. We will not reduce our population there. You are the future of the Balkans. Your work will also contribute to the relations between the two countries," he stressed.

Erkan Kandemir, the Deputy Chairman of the AK Party, stated that they were happy to be together at such an iftar table and stated that he found the student movement very valuable.

Saying that they are happy to be in Edirne, “From the moment we entered the hall, we felt ourselves in another place when we saw your sparkling, clean, magnificent hearts and eyes. We don't even need to tell you how much our President and General President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan loves and is in love with this geography. I respectfully greet you all. I wish you success in your education life” he said.

“We will strengthen our unity and solidarity”

Ceyda Efendi, President of the Western Thrace Student Union, stated that the aim of the union is to help young people who aim to serve the society, protect national and moral values, and take responsibility, in order to realize their goals.

Stating that one of our biggest goals is to eliminate the lack of representation, to ensure unity and solidarity among the students studying in Edirne, support them in their socialization, and to improve their relations, Efendi said that they will reinforce unity and solidarity with the activities they organize. The organized program ended after the