Equal rights for all national minorities in Turkey were advocated at the annual convention of the Republican Party here by Kasim Gulik, secretary general of the party.
Addressing the 200 delegates attending the convention, Mr. Gulik said: “In our view, there are no minorities in Turkey. All citizens living within our boundaries are considered as the sons of this country and are therefore entitled to enjoy full rights.”
Another opposition group to the present regime of the Democrat Party, voiced a more favorable attitude towards the minorities in Turkey. The party’s newspaper. Yeni Gan, commenting on the Government decision to pay compensation to those who suffered losses in the anti-Greek riots of Sept. 6, 1955, among whom were many Jews, said that every effort should be made to make the minorities feel at home in Turkey and secure. The objective should be, the paper said, to prove to the world that there are no minority problems in Turkey.
The action of the Turkish Government in recalling its Minister from Israel last autumn after Israel launched the Sinai operation against Egypt, came under sharp attack at the Republican Party Convention. The Republicans, who held office until 1950, are the principal opposition to the present regime of the Democrat Party.
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