Non-existent Turkish minority in Greece?
A vehement protest action preceded a conference hosted in the European Parliament’s building in Brussels by RMDSZ MEP Csaba Sógor on the Turkish minority in Greece. Right before the start of the conference entitled Freedom of association in Greece - a loophole in European minority rights standards MEPs of the Greek far-right tried to disrupt the conference by using violent language and claiming that there is no Turkish minority in Greece - a fact, which according to Csaba Sógor only demonstrates how real the problems of ethnic minorities are in Greece.
"We are responsible for every single European citizen. It is right when the EU calls for the respect of rights of ethnic minorities abroad, but before doing so we need to show a good example by adequately addressing the issues of the minorities within the EU" said Sógor at the event, adding that although the laws differ from member state to member state the problems minorities face are similar. According to him, most of the historical fears of the majority and minority communities are common, yet instead of solving them we pass them on to the younger generations.
“We have no other choice than to constantly point out problems and trust that states will realize that securing minority rights within their borders is for the common good of all their citizens”- said the MEP and stated that we ought to encourage member states to comply with the existing recommendations of the Council of Europe in the field and urge the creation of an EU framework for minority protection. The RMDSZ MEP also stressed the importance of the civil society in dispelling historical fears and securing the application of existing laws.
