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Roma Associations Gathered In Ankara 06/01/2011

Representative of Roma associations gathered in Ankara. State minister Faruk Çelik made a statement for the associations to introduce the improvement about the situation of Roma in Turkey from the first Roma workshop.

State minister Faruk Çelik emphasized that they will do an important job for Roma in 2011 and added: "Roma won't feel humiliated anymore because of their identity.". Çelik remind the meeting at December 10, 2009 to be the first of Roma associations and officials to league together for solving problems. Çelik described the situation of Roma with those words: "They are the citizens who are on the edge of a cliff.".

Çelik said that they are aware of problems of Roma still exist on account of the fact that prejudices can't be disappeared suddenly. Çelik added "We reached better standards comparing to yesterday, comparing to December 10, 2009. We have covered a distance to overcome the prejudices targeting Roma." Çelik also pointed at they have changed some laws including discriminative expressions against Roma. Faruk Çelik showed collective housings, which are claimed to be built for Roma, as an example for improvement about the issue of Roma and added: "We started to build 8218 house in 8 months. This is not enough. We will do more."

Representative of Roma associations went to the parliament to listen the speech of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Justice and Development Party group meeting. Erdoğan speak to Roma people in his speech using those words: "My Roma brother and sister are the first class citizens of this country. I growed together with Roma, we lived in same neighbourhood, we went to same school. And i am also comfortable with this situation." Erdoğan point at the houses claimed to be built for Roma and he emphasized that they are preparing projects for 10000 more collective housings to be built. He also added that these houses will given to beneficiaries step by step. Erdoğan said that the ministry of interior will help Roma citizens to get their identification cards from now on. Representative of Roma associations leave the parliament after the speech of Erdoğan.

There will be an other Roma meeting at this weekend (January 7-8-9; 2011). The meeting is being organized by Çetin Soysal (Parliamentarian from the opposition party) with participating of some Roma associations from Marmara and Aegean Regions of Turkey. The president of opposition party (Republican People's Party) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will also participate the meeting and workshop which will be done in Kuşadası Fantasia Hotel.

Sources: Cihan News Agency-Gazete 2000