11th Annual Meeting of FUEN TAG was hosted by the Turkish community in Bulgaria

The 11th Annual Meeting of the Working Group of Turkic Minorities/Communities (TAG) of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) was held in Varna, Bulgaria, from 29 May to 1 June 2025, hosted by the Turkish community in Bulgaria.

Organised by the Youth and Innovative Development Association on behalf of the Bulgarian Turks, the meeting brought together representatives of Turkic minorities and communities living across a vast geographical area stretching from the Balkans to the Caucasus. Seventeen Turkic organisations from ten different European countries participated in the event.

Participants included representatives of the Western Thrace Turks, the Turks of Rhodes and Kos, the Meskhetian Turks, the Crimean Tatars, the Turks of Kosovo, the Gagauz Turks of Ukraine, the Turks of North Macedonia, the Gagauz Turks of Moldova, the Bulgarian Turks, and the Turks of Romania.

FUEN TAG Spokesperson Halit Habip Oğlu led a delegation that visited the Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque (Tombul Mosque) in the city of Shumen, located in the Ludogorie (Deliorman) region of northeastern Bulgaria, on Friday, 30 May, as part of the programme, and obtained information about the mosque. The visit was also attended by Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Burgas Tolga Orkun.

Later, the TAG delegation was received by Regional Mufti of Shumen Mesut Mehmed, who delivered information about the activities of the Regional Mufti’s Office in Shumen and the region.

The TAG delegation also visited the 103-year-old ‘‘Nüvvab’’ Religious High School in Shumen, where they were briefed on the school’s history by Nüvvab Director Şerif Hüsnü.

The FUEN TAG delegation met with representatives of the Turkish community in the region at a meeting in the city of Shumen. The meeting was also attended by Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Burgas Tolga Orkun and Social Affairs Attaché at the Consulate General of Türkiye in Burgas Mehmet Ungan, as guests of honour.

During the meeting, where Consul General Orkun, FUEN TAG Spokesperson Habip Oğlu, and FUEN Vice President Nabi İbrahimcik delivered their opening remarks, issues faced by the Bulgarian Turks regarding education, mother tongue instruction, the preservation of Turkish identity, and the preservation of cultural heritage were discussed.

Member of the Youth and Innovative Development Association and Secretary of the Peace People’s Cultural House İbram Ahmed realised a presentation at the meeting, providing participants with detailed information about Turkish cultural and artistic organisations in Bulgaria, their activities, and the structural problems they face.

Following the meeting, the FUEN TAG delegation visited the museum house of the famous wrestler Koca Yusuf in the village of Cherna (Karalar), located in the district of Hitrino (Şeytancık) of the province of Shumen, and was informed about Yusuf’s life and achievements by the village mayor, İsmail Ebazer.

The FUEN TAG roundtable meeting held on 31 May began with opening and welcoming speeches by FUEN TAG Spokesperson Halit Habip Oğlu and FUEN Vice President Nabi İbrahimcik. Habip Oğlu provided information about TAG’s recent activities, while İbrahimcik provided information about FUEN’s recent actions.

Following this, representatives of the host Bulgarian Turks, Western Thrace Turks, Turks of Rhodes and Kos, Meskhetian Turks, Crimean Tatars, Kosovo Turks, Ukrainian Gagauz, North Macedonian Turks, Moldovan Gagauz, and Romanian Turks shared important developments that had taken place in the past year within the Turkic minority and communities, their current problems and the activities of the organisations they represent respectively.

The meeting ended with the adoption of FUEN TAG’s 2025-2026 activity programme and a joint roadmap with the contributions of the participating organisations.

Following the meeting, the FUEN TAG delegation participated in a city tour of Varna hosted by Member of the European Parliament Ilhan Kyuchyuk and attended the subsequent dinner. The dinner was also attended by Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Burgas Tolga Orkun and Member of the Bulgarian Parliament from Varna from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Hüsnü Adem.