Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

A Greek member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was slammed in a Greek newspaper Sunday for voting in favor of the “Turkish Association of Xanthi,” and the “Union of Turkish Women of Rodopi” in Western Thrace using the term “Turkish” to identify themselves.

The Greek ECHR judge, Petros Pararas, was one of the Greek prime minister's “men” according to Greek daily To Proto Thema. With his ECHR vote Pararas “condemned” Greece, wrote the paper caustically, and gave cause for “Muslims of Western Thrace” to celebrate on the streets crying: “Turks by court decision.”

According to the ruling of the ECHR, passed last week, Greece is legally obligated to recognize all new associations that use references to their Turkish nationality. While at the turn of the century Muslims, most of whom are of Turkish origins, were referred to as Turks, after the Turkish intervention in northern Cyprus in 1974, the Greek government fearing that Turkey may claim part of Western Thrace, started calling them "Muslims of Western Thrace." In 1991 they gave the right to individuals to self-identify as Turks, but not to groups. As a result, the Greek courts have rejected all applications for “Turkish” associations.

“Even if I would have voted against, or asked for an exemption, nothing would have changed,” To Proto Thema quoted Pararas.

“The right to call themselves Turks is a human right and it's their right,” CHP Parliamentarian Onur Öymen told the Turkish Daily News yesterday. The community of Turkish origins Muslims has been calling itself Turk all along, “so now they can call themselves by their original name,” said Öymen. “We are not calling the Greeks of Istanbul “Orthodox Christians,” so why should the Turks of Western Thrace not be called Turks?” he asked. Öymen was skeptical as to whether Greece would honor the ECHR verdict, explaining that in other cases it had turned a blind eye. “It's a positive decision and I hope the Greeks will honor it,” he said.

Legally speaking, the Greek government has no choice said Costas Tsitselikis, an expert on the Turkish minority issue in Greece and professor at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. “In both cases the ECHR is saying that the reference to “Turkey” does not give the right to a democratic society to refuse the establishment of an association,” he said. The professor said probably the Turkish minority would try to invest in the rulings saying they have the right to call the whole community Turkish. “There will be antagonism and confrontation,” said Tsitselikis and added that the issue with the associations was symbolic of deeper problems and neglect in the community. “After 25 years of court rulings, I think the verdict is in accordance with human rights and it's time for both sides to look into the real issues of the minority in Western Thrace.”

DAMARIS KREMIDA
ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/arti ... sid=100587

[Nikitas]

“We are not calling the Greeks of Istanbul “Orthodox Christians,” so why should the Turks of Western Thrace not be called Turks?”

Isn't this how they officially term Greeks in Istanbul? Orthodox Christians? I thought the term according to the religion of each community was laid down by the Treaty of Lausanne.

[halil]

Greece confiscated the lands of Western Thrace Turkish Minority members due to systematic migration policy although land is the unique means of subsistence for Western Thrace Turkish Minority members. New railway project that will be implemented by the Greek authorities in Western Thrace reminds the old scenarios.

Confiscation of Turkish villages of Yahyabeyli, Vakif, Seymen are likely to be on the agenda if Gümülcine (Komotini) Industy Zone is joined with the new railway line. That means confiscation of approximately 375.000m² of land which belongs to Turkish farmers.

According to the comments of Mustafa Katranci, member of Council of Maronya Municipality, there are two alternatives if that new project project is going to be implemented. The first alternative foresees the confiscation of 375.000m² of land which belongs to Turkish farmers. Within that alternative, Gümülcine (Komotini) Industry Zone will be joined with the new railway line. In the second alternative, new railway line will pass through the Gümülcine (Komotini) Industry Zone as one – line and under that second alternative, the amount of the land that will be confiscated will decrease.

We follow the debate closely

“If it is a must to implement this project, Greek authorities shall act in good faith” revealed Halit Habipoglu, chairman of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe. He continued as ”We are apprehensive about our country’s projects while we have lived some bad experiences. Greek authorities confiscated our land due to a university project but they did not do anything with that land until now and we must pay rent for our own properties.

In 1923, Greek authorities divested the Western Thrace Turkish Minority of 84% of their land via land unifications, ban on land purchase, special incentives given to Greek farmers. If we talk about confiscation of 20% of our land, this clearly shows that our concerns are not illogical. If the project must be implemented, then the idea of the Turkish farmers must be taken as well. This can not be a one-sided decision. He reported that they would follow the process closely and in case of a violation of right of property then they would not hesitate to apply to international human rights organizations in Europe.

Confiscation caused migration of Turkish minority in 1998

Thousand of land in villages of Cepelli, Bulatköy, Gebeceli, Esekcili, Ayazma, Sendeli and Yuvacili that belonged to Turkish minority were confiscated in 1998 via university project, construction of industrial zone, land unification. That caused the Turkish minority to have serious financial problems as they were engaged in farming. As a result, they were forced to leave their land and migrate.
....................................

ABTTF-News
Johannisstraße 50
58452 Witten
Germany
http://www.florina.org/html/2007/federa ... turks.html

[Nikitas]

375000 square meters sounds like a lot, it is 375 donums, and the report, Halil, does not mention how much land belonging to Greeks would be expropriated and how many jobs would be created most of which would go to the local moslem residents. The land belonging to Greeks is actually a lot more.

Your quoted report also leaves out the hardship caused by the stoppage of the tobacco subsidies that used to be paid by the EU. As it leaves out the financing by the EU of the new industrial zone and the railway line. If the Greek government did nothing for Komotini it would be at fault, if it does something it is still at fault.

Maybe the ideal solution would be to build the new industrial park and reailway line on land belonging only to Christians and Pomaks, then offer all the benefits to those the Turks.

[Piratis]

While the Turks living in Greece have grown in numbers, the Greeks living in Turkey have all but disappeared.

Turkey not only is exterminating the other minorities that exist within Turkey, but they also try to use the Turkish minorities that live in other countries for her own expansionist policies.

So it is funny when the Turks are exterminating the Greeks in Turkey, and even invade Cyprus and have claims over the Aegean and other Greek territories, and then they expect the Greeks not to defend themselves!

One more thing to note: The Greek member of the ECHR did vote in favor of the rights of those Turks. This is something a Turkish judge would never do. In fact in all the rulings of ECHR against Turkey for her crimes in Cyprus, the Turkish judge was the only one not supporting the 100% just position of Cyprus, and instead supporting the usual Turkish propaganda and lame excuses for the occupation of our country.

[halil]

NATO DIVIDED OVER EXPANSION AHEAD OF SUMMIT.
Last minute preparations are underway in Romania's capital Bucharest for what will be NATO's biggest ever summit.

And there is no shortage of thorny topics to be discussed at the city's vast parliamentary palace.
The 26-member alliance is split over granting Georgia and Ukraine a road map to eventual entry because of opposition from Russia.

Possible invitations to join NATO are on the agenda for Croatia, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but only if it can resolve a long-running row with Greece.

The NATO member is threatening to veto Macedonia's membership bid unless it alters its name, a prospect that sparked protests in Skopje.

Hundreds gathered in the Macedonian capital to reject any change.

Athens is opposed to the name Macedonia because it is the same as Greece's northernmost province, birthplace of Alexander the Great.

There is no easy end in sight to this dispute, given the strength of feeling in Macedonia against Greece's demands.

A billboard in Skopje features a Nazi swastika on a Greek flag.

[-mikkie2-]

What is Macedonia and what are Macedonians Halil?

FYROM is populated by Albanians and Slavs. It has no relationship with ancient Macedonia which was one of the City states that made up ancient Greece. Ancient Macedonia has NO relationship with FYROM.

Yet, FYROM has hijacked Greek ancient history by using its ancient symbols and hijacking its most important historical figure, Alexander the Great, for example, by calling its international airport 'Alexander the Great'. FYROM is an anachronism that was created by Tito of the former Yugoslavia and now all of a sudden, these people want to identify themselves with a people that they have no relation to.

This is what irks the Greeks and its what would irk any other country whose history was being hijacked by another. It is therefore understandable that Greece wishes to protect what is part of its historical identity.

[zan]

Disgusting behavior from a "EU" country!!!

[-mikkie2-]

Yet the fact remains, the Turkish state has forcefully confiscated almost all land that was previously ownned by Greeks in Turkey. In 1924 about 100000 Greeks remained in Turkey, mainly in Istambul. Today that is just 2000.

In 1924, the muslims of Greece which as a matter of fact are not all of Turkish origin were also around 10000. Today they number 200000.

The figures speak for themselves. I'm afraid our Turkish friends need to look at their own back yard and sort out the crimes that they commited to people under their juristiction from 1924 before crying foul on its neighbours, which they all too easily do.

[halil]

What is Macedonia and what are Macedonians Halil?

FYROM is populated by Albanians and Slavs. It has no relationship with ancient Macedonia which was one of the City states that made up ancient Greece. Ancient Macedonia has NO relationship with FYROM.

Yet, FYROM has hijacked Greek ancient history by using its ancient symbols and hijacking its most important historical figure, Alexander the Great, for example, by calling its international airport 'Alexander the Great'. FYROM is an anachronism that was created by Tito of the former Yugoslavia and now all of a sudden, these people want to identify themselves with a people that they have no relation to.

This is what irks the Greeks and its what would irk any other country whose history was being hijacked by another. It is therefore understandable that Greece wishes to protect what is part of its historical identity.

What is Macedonia and what are Macedonians Halil?

Answers are:
http://www.macedonia.com/english/history/