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Volume I - Issue 9 June 2007 Chairman’s Message THE 2nd CONGRESS OF ESU HELD IN BRUSSELS Dear friends, It has been three years now The General Council of ESU held its second since the foundation of ESU (the Congress on 19-20 May 2007 in Brussels. European Syriac Union). When The second congress that has been held we look back at the past three years, we see that ESU has three years after the foundation of ESU was acquired an important place attended by more than a hundred members. among the Syriac people. The level that ESU has reached is The program of the first day of the Congress very important. Firstly, ESU has started with the opening speech of the been institutionalised and made new members in many of the European coun- Member of the Executive Board Miss Rima tries. Secondly, ESU has continuously raised Tuzun. Thereafter, in remembrance of the the problems of the Syriacs living in the Middle Syriac Martyrs a national Poem was read and East to the international agenda. Accordingly, the attendees stood up a minute of silence. some of these problems that have been contin- The second Guest speaker was a Coptic per- uously shouldered by ESU are the constant attacks against the Syriacs living in Iraq and son, namely Mr. Ayad Mossad, who is one of their security issues, as well as the problems the first friends of ESU. Mr. Mossad in his faced by the Syriac people living in Turkey. speech stated that ESU has made a very Thirdly, ESU has continuously carried the good progress during the last three years and Syriac issues to the European Commission and has a very strong management. He also stat- as a result it helped the issue to enter into the Progress Report on Turkey. Fourthly, ESU has ed that, with the great energy of the executive built a strong bridge between the Syriacs and members who have been working with a high most of the countries that they live in. velocity and exertion, it has made very signif- icant development during the last three years. Whilst ESU has successfully shouldered this issues, there has been some important devel- opments regarding the general Syriac cause. On the second day of the Congress the elec- The most important development is that, togeth- tions of the president and the Ruling er with the Chaldeans and Assyrians who are The President of ESU Mr. Iskender Alptekin Committee took place. The elections were from the same ethnic background, they have informed the attendees about the works car- carried out by a chosen council from the begun to demand an Autonomous region in ried out by ESU during the last three years. members of the Executive Board, who were Iraq. No matter how risky such a demand could be, however it is the only choice that may pre- Mr. Alptekin, also made a speech concerning Mr. Evgil Turker, Mr. Fikri Aygur and Ms. serve our cultural existence. the political developments in the Middle East, Neriman Kucukaslan. In the Presidency elec- the position of the Syriacs within these devel- tion the only nominee was the former presi- The Syriac cause that had become totally irrel- opments and their importance from the Syriac dent Mr. Iskender Alptekin. All the members evant during the cold-war. However, in the past point of view. who attended the Congress, unanimously few years it has entered into the agenda of the Middle Eastern and the Western countries. It is elected Mr. Alptekin to remain in the post of noteworthy to underline the fact that in a In the Congress, the Director of the Eastern the President of ESU for another term of three research carried out by the Leiden University of European Board of the Government of years. the Netherlands, the Syriac people are the best Belgium Mr. Thomas Antoine made a very integrated Middle Eastern people into the effective speech during the special part that Besides the president, another voting took European society. Thus, it could be said that this is a very important milestone for our coales- was designed for the guests. Mr. Antoine who place in order to elect 25 new members for cence with the modern world. In the last few had worked as the Consulate General of the ruling committee, in order to further exe- years we see that there are many international Belgium in Istanbul for three years, was cute the ESU work in Europe. 29 persons symposium held concerning the Syriac history, closely acquainted with the Syriacs of Turkey. were nominated as candidates in the ruling culture and language. Therefore, it is possible Mr. Antoine in his speech stated that he is a committee elections and 25 of them were to say that the world has started to feel the exis- tence of the Syriacs. friend of the Syriacs, and as the Belgian elected. Accordingly, the new members of the Government, within the criteria of ruling committee for three years ahead will For the continuity of these developments and Copenhagen in their dealings with Turkey, be: for a proper representation of the Syriac people they seri- in an international level, ESU will assign a prior- ously take From the Netherlands ity to these main issues: The organizational expansion of ESU and opening new representa- into consid- Mr. Fikri Aygur, Mr. Yılmaz Ergün, Mr. Luey tions in many countries, to place importance on eration the Haddad and Ms Naima Gouriye the foreign relations so that we will extend the problems of number of our friends, the establishment of the the Syriacs From Switzerland ESU Youth Branch, to carry the voice of the and they Mr. Evgil Türker, Mr. Nail Akçay, Mr. Tuma Syriacs living in the Middle East to the world in a higher level and to find more solutions for the consider this Çelik, Mr. Albert Akbulut social problems of the Syriacs. as an issue that should From Belgium Best regards, be solved by Mr. Zeki Gezer, Ms Nursel Vergili, Mr. Turkey. Suleyman Gültekin, Mr. Davut Vergili Iskender Alptekin, ESU Chairman The Voice of the Syriacs Volume 1 - Issue 9 page 2 From Germany The new second three-year term president of of the Women federations and to deal more Mr. George İssa, Mr. Aziz Gergin, Ms Suel ESU Mr. Iskender Alptekin, in his closing effectively with the social problems that are Demir, Ms Rima Tüzün, Mr. Abut Can, Mr. speech, at the end of the congress broadly faced by the Syriacs in the countries they are Simon Oğuz mentioned the issues that will be undertaken living. during the From Sweden three years Following the closure of Mr. İskender Haddad, Mr. Rubel Varlı, Ms ahead. the congress, the Ruling Neriman Küçükaslan, Ms Bahiya Hadodo, Mr. Accordingly, Committee was immedi- Jacob Mirza, Mr. Nezir Yalçın the most ately assembled and important elected the new works to be Executive Board. undertaken Accordingly, the will be; fur- President of ESU Mr. ther Iskender Alptekin as well strengthen- as Mr. Fikri Aygur, Mrs ing the orga- Neriman Kucukaslan, Mr. nizational Evgil Turker, Mr. Aziz structure, the strengthening of the foreign Gergin, Mr. Simon Oguz and Mr. Nail Akcay affairs committee, the establishment of the were elected as the members of the Executive ESU Youth Branch, the expansion of the works Board. THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYRIAC SYMPOSIUM On 30-31 March 2007, the First International The Head of the Delegation Syriac Symposium was held in Turabdin’s cen- of the European Commission tral town of Midyat. This symposium was for to Turkey Mr. Yngve the most part financed by the European Union Engstrom in his speech and was jointly organized by the Ulasilabilir emphasized the importance Yasam Dernegi (Life Within Reach of the civil organisations, and Association) a social organisation from Turkey the significance of such a and the European Syriac Union (ESU). Symposium that is being held in Turkey. To this symposium that lasted for two days, the Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church of The member of the ruling Mardin Saliba Ozmen, the Head of the committee of ESU who Delegation of the European Commission to organized the Symposium Turkey Mr. Yngve Engstrom, the MP of Mardin informed the audience about Mr. Nihat Eri, the Secretary General of the the reasons for the migration Ulasilabilir Yasam Dernegi Association Belgin of the Syriacs from Turkey. Cengiz, the Project Coordinator of the UYD Thus, stated that the main Hacer Faggo, the members of the ruling com- reasons for this migration are mittee of ESU Mr. Tuma Celik and Ms Linda the historical discrimination Gabriel as well as many scientists from various and persecutions that the Istanbul, Doc, Dr. Ahmet Tasgin from Dicle universities in Turkey attended and made Syriacs have been suffering in their homeland. University, the member of the Ruling speeches. He also emphasized that this migration is not Committee of ESU Mr. Tuma Celik, the presi- only the loss for the Syriacs who have been liv- dent of the Culture and Solidarity Association The opening speech of the Symposium was ing in the region for at least 7 thousand years of Mesopotamia Mr. Muzaffer Iris, Mr. Hakan made by the MP of Mardin Mr. Nihat Eri. Mr. Eri but it is also a loss for Turkey. Aytekin from Maltepe University, PHD student in his speech underlined the changes and the from Ege University Mr. Ihsan Cetin, Mr. progress that the Turkish officials made Following the opening speeches Mr. Celik read Echoue Gouriye (from Syria), Dr. Abdurrahim regarding the problems faced by the local a paper on the Social and Cultural structure of Ozmen, Doc, Dr.