CHP Chairman Özgür Özel said, “For us, Rumelia and the Balkans are not just the names of geography. Rumelia is the name of our longing for home that burns our throats. Our brothers who came to Anatolia from the Balkans are not immigrants, they are the main founding elements of this nation, this country.” he said.
Participating in the Balkan Rumelia Associations iftar program held at Eyüpsultan Culture and Arts Center, Özel said in his speech that his grandmother was from Thessaloniki, his grandmother was from Kırçova, his grandfather was from Skopje, and that he felt the texture of the Balkans and Rumelia in his soul.
Stating that Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was born in Thessaloniki, fought a great struggle to stop the decline of the country and prevent the occupation and made Çanakkale impassable, Özel said, “For us, Rumelia and the Balkans are not just the names of geography. Rumelia is the name of our longing for home that burns our throats. Our brothers who came to Anatolia from the Balkans are not immigrants, but the main founding elements of this nation and this country.” he said.
Özel stated that the great waves of immigration flowing from the Balkans to Anatolia since the 19th century constituted the foundation stone of Türkiye.
Stating that the people of the Balkans and Rumelia bring with them not only their memories, but also their diligence, honesty and unbending will to freedom, Özel continued as follows:
“Rumelia’s sufferings, exiles and migrations are a part of our common history. It is not possible to forget those sufferings, but those sufferings are our common ties that bind us together more strongly today. Rumelia culture is solidarity, brotherhood, unity. It is the culture of people who protect each other in difficult times. Today, our Rumelian and Balkan citizens give us all hope for the future with the solidarity they show for Turkey. It is up to each of us to keep our historical ties with the Balkans alive and to keep our bridge of hearts with our brothers in those lands strong.” “is his duty.”
Making evaluations about the local politics in Bayrampaşa, where Rumelian immigrants live in Istanbul, Özel said, “We need to read the trauma experienced in Bayrampaşa from the right place. A bad example, an injustice, a betrayal, who takes power from us, you, our relatives and relatives, makes certain decisions in his own way, and then acts in a way that devastates us all, can never be general. We are one, we are together. Today, there are no people who can’t look us in the eye, but we are all together. Because of this kinship. “It is not our business to take power, turn it into power for oneself, and then make it a matter of bargaining with another political focus.” he said.
Özel underlined that Rumelian culture is solidarity, brotherhood, unity and looking after each other in difficult times.
Özel said that they shared both the past and common values during Ramadan and grew hope for the future, and also congratulated the participants on the upcoming Night of Power and Eid al-Fitr.
