European Syriac Union holds a conference on the Lausanne Treaty

ZURICH, Switzerland:  — On Friday, the European Syriac Union (ESU) held a conference on the Lausanne Treaty, in Zürich, Switzerland.

The conference was attended by representatives from different ethnicities and religions, and it was covered by the Suroyo TV channel.

The conference began with a minute of silence for souls of the martyrs of Syriac people. Then, ESU Co-Chair Fehmi Vergili delivered a speech about the conference and Treaty of Lausanne.

Vergili spoke about the atrocities and political massacres that took place against Syriac people, including the Lausanne Treaty.

He indicated that Syriac people were not given the opportunity to represent themselves in the agreement that took place decades ago.

Vergili added that Syriac people had some simple rights within the treaty on behalf of Christians, but these rights have not been applied yet, stressing that Syriac people voice must be heard to the world.

Khoroyo Karim Asmer criticized the Turkish authorities and those who celebrated the reopening of a church in Turkey.

“The Turkish authorities left thousands of churches destroyed and without maintenance,” Khoroyo Asmer stated.

Professor Cengiz Aktar, via an online intervention, spoke about the denial policies practiced by Turkey against minorities since the time of the treaty.

Professor Hannibal Travis, in turn, declared that the 1915 Sayfo Genocide greatly affected the Syriac people and left tragic impacts on them.

“The Treaty of Lausanne was a continuation of the persecution against the Syriac people,” he added.

Activist Daoud Yacoub stated that the provisions of the treaty have not been applied, criticizing the Turkish regime for its practices against Syriac people and other minorities in Turkey.

Samuel Swares and Azlim Yasser, in turn, spoke about the treaty of Lausanne and its purpose, and the methods of the Turkish regime in marginalization of peoples until today.

The international community has remained silent about the practices and agreements that have been carried out against Syriac people, while showing great interest in issues of other peoples, such as the Palestinian people.