IRAQI TURKMEN MEET IN ANKARA

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The Turkmen representatives who came from several regions of Iraq such as Tal’afar, Tuzhurmatu, Kifri, Diyala, Arbil and Baghdad to attend the Turkmeneli Night in Ankara, exchanged ideas with one another on the current matters during a meeting held by Turkmeneli Cooperation and Culture Foundation.

 Fatih Turkcan, the president of the Turkmeneli Cooperation and Culture Foundation, chaired the meeting on May 15, 2009, while ORSAM director Hasan Kanbolat, Turkmeneli Cultural Center Director Mustafa Ziya and Iraqi Turkmen Front Turkey Representative Sadun Köprülü made inaugural speeches. At the meeting, Turkcan detailed the services of the Foundation in Turkmen settlements in Iraq and went on stating that they consider all the demands communicated to them and try to design projects accordingly. ORSAM Director Hasan Kanbolat stated that ORSAM conducts field researches on the current issues related to Iraqi Turkmen, prepares scholarly articles and publicizes the results of these via press and broadcast media to reach crowds. Kanbolat denoted the first field research was the Tal’afar research and announced that some other Turkmen provinces would follow it. Mustafa Ziya, the chair of Turkmeneli Cultural Center gave some information on the services of the center in his speech and stated their primary purpose as raising qualified individuals for the Turkmen society. Reminding that Turkmen language is among the official languages of where the Turkmen live in Iraq, Ziya emphasized the significance of widespread use of Turkmen language and making it functional, to exercise this right more efficiently. Ziya said Turkmen are obliged to raise conscious, enlightened and equipped young generations in order to improve their status in Iraq and play influential roles at all levels of government. Ziya called on the Turkmen to claim their legal rights stemming from their position as Iraqi citizens. Koprulu who is Turkey representative of ITF also stated it is a requirement for Turkmen to act in unity for realization of the desired objectives. He explained Turkmen have been oppressed from the day Iraq was founded onwards and this has continued after the American occupation, too; however, the Turkmen struggle under Iraqi Turkmen Front will be sustained and that participation in the census is crucial in this regard.

Turkmen representatives taking floor at the meeting pointed out the fact that the census expected to be conducted in Iraq after a while will play a vital role in establishing the status of Turkmen in the currently re-structured Iraq and interpreted population shifts in different settlements. The speakers highlighted the path for Turkmen to use their capacity in the most efficient way for their struggle is unity and solidarity and noted it is outstanding that Turkmen have not let sectarian discrimination observed throughout Iraq pervade in their society.