Turks living abroad should be more like the Armenian diaspora when it comes to standing up for their home country, a senior Turkish politician has said, World Bulletin reports.
The speaker of the Turkish parliament, Cemil Cicek, told Turkish people living in Canada that they need a more “organized” association.
Cicek was speaking in the Canadian capital Wednesday.
“There is a need to organize a lobby, to reveal a reaction if need be and to convey opinions to others,” Cicek told a meeting of Turkish community representatives in Ottawa.
Cicek cited Armenians as an example of how a small number of people did much more than the many Turkish citizens living abroad.
“A group of 200 Armenians apply to the parliament of the country they live in and ask for a motion on the allegations that Turks committed genocide, whereas 50,000 Turkish citizens fail to make a 500-signature petition,” he said.
Cicek said divisions among Turkish associations were the reason for this lack of action and called for unity.
