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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 14 2013
Wise Persons hear minority woes
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
by Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
Members of minority communities voice their problems and demands,
including churches, schools and districts inhabited by minority
populations, during the Wise Persons Commission's Marmara Group
meeting at an Armenian Church in Istanbul
The Wise Persons Commission's Marmara region sub-group met with
representatives of minority communities on May 11 at the Feriköy Surp
Vartananzs Armenian Church Å?irinoÄ?lu Hall.
During the meeting, many subjects were discussed including issues of
identity and citizenship, the Lausanne Treaty, discriminatory
expressions in course books, damaged cultural assets of Anatolia, the
new constitutional process, changes to some street names such as Talat
PaÅ?a, Ergenekon, and KurtuluÅ?, the districts inhabited by minority
populations, the exclusion of films representing minorities as hostile
enemies from archives, and the church and school problems faced by the
Syriac community.
Members of the minorities also voiced concerns that the bid for
democracy and equality could potentially be interrupted, as it had
been in the past.
At the meeting, daily Apoyevmatini's Editor-in-Chief Mihalis
Vasiliadis referred to a Turkish proverb, `A fool may throw a stone
into a well, which a hundred wise men cannot pull out. We will see how
many wise persons could pull out the stone,' he said.
Huge gap between state, minorities
Vasiliadis also said there was a huge gap between the state and
minority communities, asking whether there was an effort to narrow
this gap. He also shared his daily life experiences to illustrate how
hard it is to be a minority in Turkey.
Vasiliadis also demanded support from one of the commission members,
renowned actress Hülya KoçyiÄ?t, for the exclusion of films that have
hostile expressions or symbols against minorities.
Meanwhile, Harutyun Å?anlı said the course books including hostile
remarks towards minorities should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Å?anlı said the period of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government had become a turning point for minority communities.
`Though our state authorities are as close as a phone line, there are
still some red lines in between,' he said.
Å?anlı also recalled the Foundations Law, which was enacted about two
years ago, `First they returned our own lands to us, but then the
municipality said they needed a green area in Istanbul,' Å?anlı said.
Also, Laki Vingas, who is in charge of minority foundations in the
Foundations Directorate General, said the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an did not touch upon the minority communities in his speeches.
`For 90 years, we have claimed our rights, and been regarded as
strangers. They always expected us to obey. We demand our reputation,
not some rights sold on credit,' Vingas said.
There were also some tense moments during the meeting. The
representatives of minority communities objected to the meeting's
description as a `meeting with non-Muslim minorities,' while the
members of the Peace and Democracy party (BDP) reacted against the
delegation head Deniz Ã`lke ArıboÄ?an's use of expressions such as `PKK
terror' and `Kurdish terror.'
The commission, which was founded with the aim of providing a peaceful
atmosphere in the resolution process of the Kurdish issue, is expected
to submit a report to the government on June 14.
May/14/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/wise-persons-hear-minority-woes.aspx?pageID=238&nID=46812&NewsCatID=339
From: Baghdasarian
May 14 2013
Wise Persons hear minority woes
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
by Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
Members of minority communities voice their problems and demands,
including churches, schools and districts inhabited by minority
populations, during the Wise Persons Commission's Marmara Group
meeting at an Armenian Church in Istanbul
The Wise Persons Commission's Marmara region sub-group met with
representatives of minority communities on May 11 at the Feriköy Surp
Vartananzs Armenian Church Å?irinoÄ?lu Hall.
During the meeting, many subjects were discussed including issues of
identity and citizenship, the Lausanne Treaty, discriminatory
expressions in course books, damaged cultural assets of Anatolia, the
new constitutional process, changes to some street names such as Talat
PaÅ?a, Ergenekon, and KurtuluÅ?, the districts inhabited by minority
populations, the exclusion of films representing minorities as hostile
enemies from archives, and the church and school problems faced by the
Syriac community.
Members of the minorities also voiced concerns that the bid for
democracy and equality could potentially be interrupted, as it had
been in the past.
At the meeting, daily Apoyevmatini's Editor-in-Chief Mihalis
Vasiliadis referred to a Turkish proverb, `A fool may throw a stone
into a well, which a hundred wise men cannot pull out. We will see how
many wise persons could pull out the stone,' he said.
Huge gap between state, minorities
Vasiliadis also said there was a huge gap between the state and
minority communities, asking whether there was an effort to narrow
this gap. He also shared his daily life experiences to illustrate how
hard it is to be a minority in Turkey.
Vasiliadis also demanded support from one of the commission members,
renowned actress Hülya KoçyiÄ?t, for the exclusion of films that have
hostile expressions or symbols against minorities.
Meanwhile, Harutyun Å?anlı said the course books including hostile
remarks towards minorities should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Å?anlı said the period of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government had become a turning point for minority communities.
`Though our state authorities are as close as a phone line, there are
still some red lines in between,' he said.
Å?anlı also recalled the Foundations Law, which was enacted about two
years ago, `First they returned our own lands to us, but then the
municipality said they needed a green area in Istanbul,' Å?anlı said.
Also, Laki Vingas, who is in charge of minority foundations in the
Foundations Directorate General, said the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an did not touch upon the minority communities in his speeches.
`For 90 years, we have claimed our rights, and been regarded as
strangers. They always expected us to obey. We demand our reputation,
not some rights sold on credit,' Vingas said.
There were also some tense moments during the meeting. The
representatives of minority communities objected to the meeting's
description as a `meeting with non-Muslim minorities,' while the
members of the Peace and Democracy party (BDP) reacted against the
delegation head Deniz Ã`lke ArıboÄ?an's use of expressions such as `PKK
terror' and `Kurdish terror.'
The commission, which was founded with the aim of providing a peaceful
atmosphere in the resolution process of the Kurdish issue, is expected
to submit a report to the government on June 14.
May/14/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/wise-persons-hear-minority-woes.aspx?pageID=238&nID=46812&NewsCatID=339
From: Baghdasarian