The Turkish State is trying to find a way to reinstate Greek nationals who were forced to leave Turkey 50 years ago as part of the population exchange between Turkey and Greece.
The chairman of the Istanbul Greek Universal Federation, Nikolas Uzunoglu stated to Al-Jazeera Turk, that Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu and his assistant Naci Koru have been working on a plan to bring back to Turkey the Greek Nationals who were forced to move to Greece on March 16, 1964.
Uzunoglu disclosed some details of his negotiations with Ankara. In particular he said: “Following the banishment verdict, Turkey did not grant Turkish citizenship to children who were born between the years of 1963-1981 via their mothers. After a meeting that I had with Ankara’s officials, this verdict was taken back a few months ago. Now, those persons who were born between 1963-1981 are able to apply for Turkish citizenship via their mothers.”
Uzunoglou left Turkey in 1974 to study in England before migrating to Greece. He explained that the Greek nationals of Turkey had a rough time when they first arrived in Greece. Not only did they have to face and live with the fact that they had lost their homes and properties, but they also had to face Greece’s denial of accepting them as members of the Greek society. In order to force them to leave the country, the Greek State did not grant any work or residency permits.
Mr. Uzunoglu also expressed his satisfaction over the cooperation between the Greek federation and the Turkish Foreign Minister. In fact, he said that in the 1990s it would have been impossible for such a meeting to be held between a Greek representative of the federation and a Turkish official.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
