Volume I - Issue 22 August 2011 Chairman’s Message ESU IV EXTRAORDINARY Dear readers, CONGRESS During the political “For the future our main focus will and social movements European Syriac Union (ESU) held be about the situation of Iraq and of last months, our its IV extra ordinary Congress with Syria, these two countries have sig- region and the world the presence of more than 150 dele- nificant importance for our people had witnessed the slow but sure gates and guests from Europe at and we are following every incident transformation of the Middle East Belgian capital, Brussels. concerning our people,” highlighted countries which were the centre of Hobil. undemocratic systems. These social For this occa- movements reversed some long lived sion, rich pro- During the Congress the report and regimes and the other still persist at gramme was the planning of activities had been the places. done and presented to the delegates and new agenda of functions had been established for Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people are work was the future. One of the important passing very important period also as ready to the functions that had been created is the other nations in the region. In Iraq, Congress. the Department of Foreign Affairs our people are target of systematic and Rima Tüzün had been named to attacks and their presence becoming The extra this func- alarmist. Today the situation in Syria ordinary tion. Rima also is very important for our people. Congress objective was to elect the Tüzün said For this, establishing of democratic new President for ESU during three that we cre- and modern systems in the region is years of mandate. According the ate this the key for the future. results of the secret vote, Lahdo fonction to Hobil, the former vice-president, be able to Our organisation, ESU, held the 4th had been elected to the post of chair- work more Congress during the period of the manship. professionally for the external issues social unrest which squeezes the and strenghten our relations with region and the systems. Our Congress relevant actors. finished with great success and will the powerful solution to the period. On the other hand, Iskender To be ready and to give answer to the Alptekin, former President of ESU, new process, ESU and with all rele- had been named as the Honorary vant institutions and delegates are President of ESU. with the consciousness of the impor- tance of the process and the works to ESU held the Congress every three be done. years and working in the Europe and rest of the world to promote Our region and the world are living Following the election of the new and develop the situation of difficult but necessary periods in President Lahdo Hobil made a wel- Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people. terms of social, political and economic come speech to the participants of issues. The transformation of Middle Congress. President Hobil declared East countries must bring democratic, that, ESU had been the centre of open and pluralistic systems at the solutions to the Syriac people from future. the establishment until today. Our slogan is unity and working with Finally, I present all my deep grati- full energy and devotion to create tude to all my friends and delegates better conditions to our people in which accords me their confidence to the diaspora and homeland.” take forward our organisation, ESU. The Voice of the Syriacs Volume 1 - Issue 22 page 2 ESU presents Annual Report to European Authorities At the discussed issues Mor Gabriel trials took important A committee from ESU meet with European places and ESU members expressed their high concerns Commission authorities concerning situation of Syriacs in about ongoing trials. ESU members declared that Mor Turkey and presenting ESU Annual Report about the sit- Gabriel trials will be test balance for the Turkey for the uation of the Syriacs in Turkey. future democracy and living together. Mr. Christos Makridis at the DG Among discussed issues the cadastral sur- Enlargement of Turkey Unit received vey problems that face Syriacs and consti- ESU delegation composed from ESU tutional change had been discussed during Secretary Rima Tüzün, member of the meeting and ESU delegate highlighted administrative committee Süleyman the importance of the new constitution that Gültekin and David Vergili. will be prepared in Turkey. ESU delegation presents the annual Mr. Makridis express his gratitude for the report to Mr. Makridis and had oppor- report and he declared that during the tunity to deliver latest situation and expectations of preparation of EU Turkey Progress Report, they will take Syriacs in Turkey. account of ESU report. Syriac Erol Dora elected to Turkish Parliament looked upon as foreigners, nevertheless, with the Syriac Lawyer Erol Dora entered to the Turkish European Union accession process, this situation is Parliament after general elections held on the country. changing.” The election of Erol Dora has a significant mportance for the Syriacs and also for Turkey. Turkey is moving from a system of “compulsory citizen- ship,” in which only the country’s For the first time of the Turkish Republic Turkishness is privileged, to a concep- history a member of Syriac community will tion of citizenship that is more inclusi- took a place at the Parliament. ve of diverse, non-Turkish groups. “All of the ethnic cultures of Turkey “If I manage to enter Parliament, I will beco- are” excited about this, Dora said. me the voice of the Syriac community, as well as all of the other ethnicities living in “It is not important whether to be cho- the southeastern region,” Dora told the sen or not. The pluralist participation Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. will be the sign that everybody in Turkey has equal rights,” the candida- Erol Dora gained his place at the Parliament te said. “Our entrance into politics as independent candidate for the Labor, from the bottom rung by showing Democracy and Freedom bloc, which is effort … will certainly contribute to supported by Peace and Democracy Party, the improvement of Turkey.” or BDP. “We’ve been living in Mesopotamia for hundreds of Although Dora said he offered his name for individual years. Our properties that are thousands of years old are reasons, he acknowledged that the Turkey’s Syriac com- in dispute. The problems concerning the 1,700 year-old munity had been lending him support in his campaign. Deyrulumur Monastery, known also as Mor Gabriel, are “The support that I have seen makes me happy.” still continuing,” he said in reference to a lawsuit filed against the monastery by the neighboring villages of The candidate said the situation in Turkey was changing, Yayvantepe, Çandarlı and Eğlence in 2008 in which locals allowing for people from previously unrepresented claimed that the church was occupying their land. If the groups to join the race to enter the legislature. ongoing case is decided against Mor Gabriel, the mona- stery could lose a significant amount of land. “Whatever his ethnic identity, if a Turkish citizen display- ing the moral courage wants to have a voice in his coun- With a joint declaration of Syriac institutions among them try, there is nothing wrong in that,” said Dora. “In previo- also ESU congragulate election of Erol Dora and they wel- us years, the minority communities living in Turkey were come this historic event. The Voice of the Syriacs Volume 1 - Issue 22 page 3 Lifelong Learning Programme C Because of the vast offering of formation the project in cooper- ontribution to the equal educational chances and equal ation of different institutions in Europe offers basic opportuni- rights of Syriac-Assyrian women ties for the women to work towards a European understanding and integration in the societies of the European countries. These The European Commission has integrated its various educa- goals are supported by a number of measures of public and tional and training initiatives under a single umbrella, the political education (e.g. seminars, newspaper articles, etc.) Lifelong Learning Programme. Women acquired the possibility to find access to education. The new Lifelong Learning Programme enables individuals at Through the 'access to lifelong learning', the Syriac-Assyrian all stages of their women leaved their role binding them to the proper house as lives to pursue housewives and mothers to build up more self confidence and stimulating strength. learning oppor- tunities across With the learning partnership the women acquired the possibil- Europe. It con- ity to communicate with women in comparable situations to sists of four sub- jointly learn according to their needs. programmes: Comenius (for The learning partners exchange, differentiate and further devel- schools), Erasmus (for higher education), Leonardo da Vinci op an education offer tailored to the target group. Through (for vocational education and training) and Grundtvig (for mobility, the different knowledge and experiences from the dif- adult education). ferent countries are inserted into the institutions of the learning partners. Launched in 2000, Grundtvig aims to provide adults with more ways to improve their knowledge and skills facilitate their per- During these two years learning strategies had been developed, sonal development and boost their employment prospects. It - To encourage the improvement of education offers for migrant also helps to tackle problems associated with Europe’s ageing women population. - To advance the linguistic, social and cultural integration - To encourage the acceptation of the women in the patriarchal It covers not only teachers, trainers, staff and organisations Syriac-Assyrian society with regards to equality of chances working in the sector, but also learners in adult education. - To implement public relations and sensibilisation measures These include relevant associations, counselling organisations, for the intercultural education about the Syriac-Assyrian prob- information services, policy-making bodies and others such as lem in Europe and NGOs, enterprises, voluntary groups and research centres.