Day: November 14, 2021

Ahiska Turks, who were brought to Turkey from Ukraine and settled in Bitlis province in 2016 on instructions from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, still suffer the pain of exile when they were deported from their homeland in 1944 under Soviet rule.

In 1944, more than 92,000 Ahiska Turks, also known as Meskhetian Turks, were expelled from Georgia’s Meskheti region by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, according to the World Ahiska Turks Association.

Seventy-two Ahiska Turks families have continued to live in the Ahlat district where they arrived five years ago.

Simizar Mehmetoglu, 81, who was exiled with her family at the age of 4, told Anadolu Agency that they were hungry, thirsty and naked in exile.

Mehmetoglu said she could not go to school, could not get enough of her mother and did not see her father after soldiers took him.

She said she and her siblings were first exiled to Uzbekistan when they were young. “I entered Uzbekistan young and leave old. There are no mom and dad. We lived as orphans in Uzbekistan for 40 years,” she said

Mehmetoglu recalled that they went to Ukraine after Uzbekistan. From there, they were brought to Turkey upon instructions from Erdogan. “May Allah be pleased with those who helped us. May the gates of paradise be opened for them,” she said.

Saniye Binali, 65, who was born in exile, said she went through very painful days during the exile.

“My flesh trembled when I recall it (the exile) now. We lived well in Uzbekistan, where I was born. I studied until the tenth grade. I got married there and have four children. When the Fergana events broke out in 1989, they tortured us a lot,” she said, referring to the massacre of hundreds of Ahiska Turks by native Uzbeks. “From there we went to Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Russia. Finally, I returned to Ukraine. Then we came to Turkey.”

Yasar Huseyin, 61, said his family will not leave Turkey, adding they love the country.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan said Saturday that his country would continue its whole-hearted humanitarian support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh until the peaceful repatriation of the persecuted people to their home country of Myanmar.

As part of a two-day visit, Turan visited Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s southern tourist-hub district of Cox’s Bazar, home to more than 1.2 million stateless Rohingya Muslims, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017.

He arrived in Cox’s Bazar early Saturday to observe different aid services and training programs conducted by Turkish organizations, including the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Diyanet Foundation, and Turkish Red Crescent.

Turan said Turkey is always supportive to reduce the suffering of the Rohingya since the very beginning of the crisis.

“We, along with the UN and other concerned authorities, have been working for peaceful and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya,” he added.

The Rohingya also expressed their gratitude to the Turkish people and their government for their support that covers medical treatment, food supplies, recreation, vocational training, mental support and other areas.

“After each of the five-time prayers, we pray to almighty Allah for the wellbeing of Turkish President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and Turkish people as they are helping us like a brother from the very beginning of our massive sufferings in 2017,” Maolana Abul Kalam Azad, the imam of a Rohingya camp-based mosque, told the Turkish envoy.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), Shah Rezwan Hayat, and additional commissioner of the institute, Mohammad Shamsud Douza, also accompanied the envoy during the tour.

They expressed appreciation for the Turkish voice at global platforms for resolving the Rohingya crisis as well as continuous support for the forcibly displaced Myanmar’s nationals.

“Our main goal is to repatriate them (Rohingya) to their home country of Myanmar as soon as possible and in this regard, we expect a very strong support of Turkey,” Hayat told Turan.

Turan also hosted RRRC and all 34 camp-in-charge at a kitchen built by TIKA to serve hot meals to Rohingya refugees.

The envoy first visited the Turkish Field Hospital located at a camp considered to be the best health facility for Rohingya refugees in the makeshift tents.

Since June 1, the hospital has been serving 2,000 Rohingya and hosting people daily while the medical facility is well furnished by the latest health service technology.

While 30 patients can get admission to the hospital, that can be extended to 50 in case of emergency. A total of 80 medical staff, including 13 doctors, are currently serving at the hospital, with 26 Rohingya employees, 22 from the host community,and the rest from Turkey.

The envoy opened the food distribution center and the playground for Rohingya children, both of which were newly renovated by TIKA at camp no. 16.

Turan also visited a soap atelier and a female sewing training center operated by the Turkish Diyanet Foundation while the Turkish Red Crescent is running a health post and a child recreational learning center on “Turkish Hill” in camp no. 17.

Source: Anadolu Agency

To hide their identities, members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, used names of countries or cities to communicate, as did characters in the popular TV series Money Heist, Anadolu Agency has learned.

Fifty-four people in a group conversation in ByLock, the encrypted messaging app of the terrorist organization, preferred the names of countries, capitals, or cities as their nicknames, it was revealed in an investigation, according to sources.

After examining the profiles, conversations and the content of messages, experts managed to decipher the identities of each user, and it was found that some of them held positions in the Foreign Ministry such as undersecretary, attache, clerk and chief clerk.

As many as 53 former high-level ministry officials affiliated with the organization hence faced legal action.

The eight robbers in Money Heist, or La Casa de Papel, the original name of the Spanish heist crime drama television series, are code-named for cities: Tokyo, Moscow, Berlin, Nairobi, Rio, Denver, Helsinki, and Oslo.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s historic Pamukkale region will be the focus of a new Discovery Channel documentary.

Famous worldwide for its mineral-rich healing waters and pristine white travertine terraces, Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

Its rich history and mesmerizing natural beauty will be explored by director Abdurrahman Itik in an episode of Mysteries of the Abandoned, a series running on Discovery’s Science Channel.

The documentary is part of Turkey’s efforts to boost tourism by giving the world a glimpse of the mesmerizing beauty found all over the country, Sait Yardimci, head of the Turkish Film Commission, told Anadolu Agency.

Bringing international film and television production teams to Turkey will have a great impact on tourism, he said.

“Projects such as this documentary will prove vital in promoting our country and its natural wonders around the world,” he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency