A press conference and East Turkistan workshop were organized in Ankara on the 75th anniversary of the occupation
On the 75th anniversary of the occupation of East Turkistan by the CCP, Uyghur NGOs held a press conference and East Turkistan workshop in Ankara.
On the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the occupation of East Turkestan by the CCP, Uyghur NGOs organized protest events and press conferences in Turkey and many parts of the world.
The East Turkestan Research Foundation, Uyghur Academy Foundation and the World Uyghur Congress Foundation organized an event titled “01 October Chinese Occupation Press Conference and East Turkestan Workshop – 2: East Turkestan Issue in the Turkic World” on 01 October 2024 in Ankara.
The press conference was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erkin Ekrem, Interim President of the World Uyghur Congress, Abdulhamit Karahan, President of Uyghur Academy Foundation, Ayşe Filiz Yavuz, Secretary General of Turkic January, Fahrettin Yokuş, former MP, Prof. Dr. Orhan Kavuncu, former MP, Prof. Dr. Erkin Emet, faculty member of Ankara University, and other NGO representatives and members of the press.
Prof. Dr. Erkin Emet, who made the first speech at the meeting, briefly described the history of the occupation of East Turkistan in his speech titled East Turkistan Independence Struggle and China’s Occupation Process, and stated that the rich and vibrant cultural structure of the region was destroyed during the Chinese occupation; mosques and graves were destroyed and the memory of Uyghurs was erased in this way.
At the meeting, Abdulhamit Karahan, President of the Uyghur Academy Foundation, read the text of the press release titled East Turkistan and the Chinese Threat to Humanity on the 75th Anniversary of the Occupation.
The text of the press release reads as follows: “Until today, Uyghurs have protected the common cultural values of the Turkish nation at the cost of their lives. Now China is seeking to eradicate the Uyghurs with the courage and opportunities it gains from the indifference of the Turkic world and the irresponsibility of the Islamic world. The physical genocide of the Uyghurs may not have hurt the Turkic world. However, now that the Uyghurs are exhausted, the Chinese are destroying the common historical values of the Turkish nation and challenging the Turkish nation.”
After the reading of the press release, important guests were also invited to the podium. Orhan Kavuncu said in his speech: “Turkic states do not perceive China as a threat. China is a threat not only to the Turkic world but also to the world, but the current US-China rivalry is insufficient. China distributes loans and buys land, especially in Turkic countries. It is doing the same in Africa.”
Fahrettin Yokuş said: “When the Republic of Turkey cannot stand on its own feet, we cannot protect our brothers and sisters. The biggest refuge of oppressed nations is always Turkey. We could not go over the UN report in 2022 properly. A great opportunity was missed for the East Turkistan cause.”
Secretary General of the Turkish Hearths Ayşe Filiz Yavuz said, “Bilge Kagan says in his inscriptions not to fall for China, but we have been falling for China for a thousand years. The world will not lift a finger while Turks are being destroyed. Unless we take ourselves seriously, the West will not take blocking China seriously. Trade with China needs to be blocked. We say that Turkey is in a very important geopolitical position, but we always say this as a hamaset. We cannot underline it, we are being manipulated when we should have the world wrapped around our finger. The general trend is bad.”
At the workshop, Prof. Dr. Erkin Emet made a presentation titled ‘Contributions of European Turks to the East Turkistan Cause’. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erkin Ekrem gave a short presentation on the ‘Current Situation of the East Turkistan Problem’.
After the speeches, discussions were held around the question ‘What can be done about East Turkistan in the Turkic World?
