{"id":1246,"date":"2004-12-13T20:56:07","date_gmt":"2004-12-13T20:56:07","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-10-01T20:26:50","modified_gmt":"2010-10-01T20:26:50","slug":"choice-democracy-quo-vadis-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/choice-democracy-quo-vadis-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Choice Democracy \u2013 Quo Vadis Turkey?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Assyrians\/syriaqs were trapped in the middle of a civil war and suffered as a result of the atrocities. The <\/SPAN>village<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType> of <\/SPAN>Hassana<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><\/st1:place> was one among many villages which were evacuated as a direct result of this war, and Assyrian\/syriaq activists were targeted by both the guerilla and paramilitary groups.The ceasefire of last year has created a new atmosphere and the handling of <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s minorities has become a central question affecting <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s entrance into the European Union.

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At the same time the PKK has been forced to retreat and been forced to adopt a policy of political dialogue instead of military confrontation.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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Relative stability has come to the area over the past few years opening it up to development. The process regarding <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s EU nomination combined with the changes in the political leadership have contributed to this progress.

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There is now both hopes for the future and confidence in the area as practical measures towards increased law enforcement have led to the expansion of the local economy.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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Exiled Assyrians\/syriaqs have visited and are visiting their ancestral villages in large groups and considerable investment lies ahead if the development can be sustained. <\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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In addition Assyrian\/syriaq representatives both within and without the country have initiated negotiations with different parts of the Turkish government.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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There have also been contact with prominent people in <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> itself, cultural exchanges and the villages are slowly being rebuilt.

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Plans for resettlement are being considered among the first generation of exile Assyrians\/syriaqs in <\/SPAN>Europe<\/SPAN><\/st1:place> and <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s negotiations with the EU are a mater of priority among the Assyrian Organizations that are closely monitoring the developments.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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Turkey<\/SPAN><\/B><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>, the EU and the Assyrians\/syriaqs<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P>
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Despite the positive development of recent years there is still a considerable amount of work to be done before <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> can become a full member of the European Union as the EU commission correctly points out.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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Among others is the lack of a proper judicial system and areas of concern in the democratic process have been brought up.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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The influence of the military in politics is a fundamental but still unresolved problem. Paramilitary groups in southeast <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> continue to make life difficult for the inhabitants of the countryside.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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Disputes land ownership and other such disputes which have not been accepted by the courts and minority rights, particularly for the indigenous Assyrians\/syriaqs who are distinct from the majority due to their different religion, culture and language.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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The Assyrians\/Syriaqs aspire to take part and contribute to the transformation process in which <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> is involved. <\/SPAN>We believe in a different <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>. A <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> with Democracy and mutual understanding is possible with the support of groups in <\/SPAN>Europe<\/SPAN><\/st1:place> and specifically the support from various EU institutions.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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\nWe agree with the report of the EU Commission which states that <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> should be able to gain full membership in the coming years. This development would also be significant for the country and the Assyrian\/Syriaq question is important in that process. The following questions have to be solved before the process can move forward.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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  1. \nTurkish Democracy
    \n<\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL>
    \nTurkish democracy has the potential to take great steps forward. What is characteristic of the Assyrians\/Syriaqs is the fact that they are not a minority that entered this region sometime in history. The Assyrian people have been living in the parts of <\/SPAN>Southern Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place> for thousands of years and they must be perceived as indigenous extension of the Mesopotamian civilization.<\/o:p><\/SPAN>
    \nA democratic state must follow international conventions and as such <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> must recognize the Assyrians\/Syriaqs as indigenous peoples and ratify the UN Convention on indigenous peoples. This will guarantee the survival of the Assyrian cultural, social and political rights in the country. In particular at a time when the number of Assyrians\/Syriaqs is falling dramatically.<\/o:p><\/SPAN>
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    1. The Fundamental Question<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

      The Turkish government in the early 1900s ratified the so called Lausanne Treaty in which national minorities were defined and their rights agreed upon. The Assyrians\/Syriaqs were excluded from that treaty, a fact that has brought serious political and cultural difficulties for our people. The <\/SPAN>Lausanne<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City> treaty is of great importance, there must be a prerequisite, that the Assyrians be recognized in this document before proceeding to the adoption of the <\/SPAN>Copenhagen<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City> criteria.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n


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      1. Assyrian\/Syriaqs Rights<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

        In accordance with the various moves the Turkish government has made towards its minorities the Assyrians\/Syriaqs should have access to TV and radio broadcasting in the Assyrian language. <\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

        This issue is a state matter and it is expected that the Turkish government will undertake this mission without delay. This decision should be made within the context of the fact that over 300,000 Assyrians\/Syriaqs are living in <\/SPAN>Europe<\/SPAN><\/st1:place>.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n


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        1. History<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

          Much of the 20th<\/SUP> century history of the Assyrians\/Syriaqs in <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> has been a great tragedy. It is normal for a democratic state to make up for its past mistakes by taking steps towards the new era.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

          None of the current inhabitants of <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> should feel guilt for the genocide of 1915 against the Assyrians\/Syriaqs and other Christians. Such an initiative would speed up the work of reconciliation and fasciculate the consolidation of political life.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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          1. Restoration<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL>
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            \nChurches, monasteries and villages have been destroyed. These need to be restored. The <\/SPAN>village<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType> of <\/SPAN>Hassana<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><\/st1:place>, for example was evacuated and destroyed completely as a result of the war. This village and others need to be restored and those families who are from the villages and wish to return be assisted to do so.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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            1. Security<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

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              Over the past few years the numbers of Assyrians\/Syriaqs visiting their home districts has increased dramatically. The driving force behind these has been the expectation to revive their childhood areas.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

              As families come back the lack of security is the main obstacle to long term development. The Turkish Government must provide security for those returning Assyrians\/Syriaqs and newly populated villages and property that has been taken illegally must be return to their legal owners.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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              1. Reconstruction<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

                Villages rebuilt by Assyrians\/Syriaqs must be given protections, adjustment sin laws and legal assistance in preparing documentation must be provided. Further, the names of all Assyrian villages which were changed to Turkish names must be restored. This will have a great symbolic meaning for the remaining Assyrians\/Syriaqs and those from abroad.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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                1. Return<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

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                  The Turkish Government should aim through its Embassies and other institutions to encourage those Assyrians\/Syriaqs living overseas to return home. This can be accomplished by informing them of the current conditions and the advancements made in protecting their rights.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

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                  1. Statements<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

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                    The slogan \u201c<\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> is for the Turks\u201d should be changed immediately. It should be replaced by one that says that <\/SPAN>Turkey<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> is for all citizens regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                    1. Indoctrination<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/LI><\/OL><\/p>\n

                      Indoctrination of Pan Turkism and Pan Islamism should stop in the schools. Textbooks that contain racially incitements and misleading information about the nation\u2019s minorities must be changed. Alternative textbooks should inform the Turkish people about the history of their minorities and their role in history objectively.<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      <\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/p>\n

                      Stockholm<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City>, <\/SPAN>October 31, 2004<\/SPAN><\/st1:date><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Assyrian National Federation in <\/SPAN>Sweden<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> \u2013 ARS<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Assyrian Democratic Organization \u2013 <\/SPAN>ADO<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Assyrian Democratic Movement \u2013 ADR<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Assyrian Liberation Party \u2013 GFA Swedish Section<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Assyrian Patriotic Party \u2013 APP<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The European Syriac <\/SPAN>Union<\/SPAN><\/st1:place> \u2013 ESU<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      The Arch Foundation for the Syriac Orthodox Church in <\/SPAN>Sweden<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> and the Scandaninavaian Foundation<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
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                      <\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      The Assyrians\/syriaqs were trapped in the middle of a civil war and suffered as a result of the atrocities. The village of Hassana was one among many villages which were evacuated as a direct result of this war, and Assyrian\/syriaq activists were targeted by both the guerilla and paramilitary groups.The ceasefire of last year has …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-press-releases"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1246\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}