FUEN Turkish Minorities / Communities Working Group 3rd Meeting was held in Berlin
The Third Meeting of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) Turkish Minorities / Communities Working Group (TAG) was held on 14-17 November 2016 in Berlin, the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. FUEN President Lorant Vincze attended to the meeting which was held in the Federal German Interior Ministry Work Building with logistical support of the FUEN Working Group of German Minorities (AGDM).
Turks in Kosovo and Bulgaria attended to the meeting for the first time
The meeting collected Turkish miniorities from different countries of Europe. Representing the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), The Friendship Equality Peace (DEB) Party and Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (BTAYTD), representing the Ahıska Turks, Meskhetian Turks Association of "VATAN" and "VATAN" Public Union of Ahiska Turks Living in Azerbaijan, "Bars El" for strengthening and developing Karachay-Balkar traditions on behalf of Karachay-Balkar Turks, Crimean Tatar National Assembly representing Crimean Tatars, representing Crimean Karaims the Crimean Karaims Union joined to the annual 3rd meeting. In addition, the Kosovo Young Association of Kosovo and the Kardzhali Turkish Culture and Art Association from Bulgaria attended to the meeting for the first time to represent Turkish minorities in the Balkans.
FUEN President Lorant Vincze listened to the problems of Turkish minorities/communities and pledge to support as FUEN
FUEN Vice President Halit Habip Oglu makes an opening speech in the beginnig of FUEN TAG 3rd Annual Meeting. Then, FUEN President Lorant Vincze informed participants about the work of FUEN and said that FUEN will continue to support Turkish minorities and communities. The representatives of the FUEN TAG member institutions thank to the support given by FUEN and they were able to transfer the problems they encountered in their countries directly to the President of FUEN and voiced the prospects of FUEN prospectively.
In addition, FUEN Berlin Office / FUEN AGDM Coordination Officer Eva Adel Penzes participated in the meeting and presented the work of FUEN AGDM.
Participants shared the right to learn mother language and the problems they have with the mother language
In the first session participants of the organizations made a presentations about their activities in their minorities / communities which was held last year. Cengiz Kovac, President of the Kosovo Young Alliance Association and Seyhan Hilmi Mehmet, Vice-President of the Kardzhali Turkish Culture and Art Association from Bulgaria who is not yet a member of the FUEN, attended in a meeting. They introduced the Turks in the historical framework in Kosovo and Bulgaria and they convey the problems they face in the countries they live in.
In the session titled " Right to learn Native language and Education in Native language", Mevlüt Işık, Press Counsel of "VATAN" Public Union of Ahiska Turks Living in Azerbaijan, Mehmet Mehmet , Secretary General of BTAYTD and Elvin Kadyrov from the Crimean Tatar National Assembly made presentations on education in the mother language. Participants shared the right to learn native languages and education in the mother tongue in the countries where they live in and shared their activities with the civil society representatives on the protection of the mother language and the education on the mother language.
FUEN TAG Regulation has been accepted with voting coalition
FUEN Vice-President Halit Habip oglu made a presentation about regulation changes and workgroup regulations in the 2015 Congress of FUEN. Following the presentation, the regulations issued by FUEN were read individually and presented to the participants for approval. As a result of the evaluations made, FUEN TAG regulation was unanimously accepted. The meeting was ended after the participants' opinions and proposals about the activities of the year of 2017 and the road map were discussed.
