Meeting of the Aggrieved Peoples in Greece

The pain, trauma, tears and voices of the victims of the genocide and massacre in Anatolia came together in Makedonien/Präfektur Imathias*.

The AGADEKA representative office, consisting of representatives of aggrieved peoples from different ethnic backgrounds, met in Makedonien/Präfektur Imathias between 5-8 September 2023. Each of them bears the weight of being expelled from their homeland due to Turkey’s racist policies and even having experienced the horrors of genocide. Assyrian Christians, Armenians, Greeks, Dersimites, Yezidis, Kochgirili and Arab Alawites united for a common goal: justice, confrontation and reconciliation!
With the presentations they made on behalf of their communities about the massacres and genocides that took place,

–Yervand Khosrovian (Armenian National Cultural Center)
-Dimitris Konstantinidis (AGADEKA-Council of Peoples and Association of Greeks)
“The Argonauts” in Pontos Cologne”)
-Kenan Araz (Institute of Mesopotamian Studies-IfMS)
-Kemal Karabulut (President of the Federation of European Dersim Associations-FDG)
-Dr. Şefik Tagay (Association of Yezidi Scholars, GEA)
-Hasan Özer (European Federation of Kochgiri Citizens)
-Petrus Afrem-Barsom (Assyrian Youth Association of Central Europe)
They brought it to the agenda.

Our diversity is our collective strength, and our shared history of suffering binds us deeply. It is high time to send a strong message of unity and solidarity across ethnic and religious boundaries.
We would also like to express our deep gratitude to the dedicated academics and researchers who laid the groundwork for this historic meeting.

Dr. Theodosis Kyriakidis, Chair of Pontic Studies, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki.
Dr. Bedriye Poyraz, Dersim 37/37 TERTELE, Ankara University, Turkey
Dr. Armen Marsoobian, Southern Connecticut State University
Dr. Şefik Tağay, Technical University of Cologne
Dr. Önver Cetrez, Uppsala University, Sweden
Dr. Zayto, General Practitioner and Psychologist, Midyat/Turabdin, Turkey.

The hard work, perseverance and expertise of these friends made it possible for us to come together here for four days and work for a better future.
We call on the international community not to forget the crimes against humanity that have overshadowed our common history and to support the cause of human rights and justice. We demand that those responsible be held accountable so that such tragic incidents never happen again.
Let us all strive together to create a world where tolerance, understanding and peace prevail. Let our meeting in Makedonien/Präfektur Imathias be the first step on this path that we will all walk hand in hand. We would also like to thank Elena Lazadaou for the four-day moderation, Parthena Iordanidou for the Greek and German translations, and Dimitrios Konstantinidis for the AGADEKA management for the masterful preparation of this four-day event.
We demand justice and confronting their genocide!

It is our common social responsibility to protect and promote human rights!
With unity and hope.
* One of the settlements of the Pontos Greeks in Greece.