They keep giving Gagauz Turks a hard time!

However, despite this neglect, they are struggling to keep their Turkish values alive. They speak Turkish, continue Turkish traditions and love Turkey.
It is normal for Turks to love Turkey no matter where they live. It is the same for other nations. However, Moldova does not want to accept this and is very uncomfortable about the closeness to Turkey of the 200,000 Gagauz Turks living within its territories, and is in efforts to sabotage this closeness of the Gagauz self-governing territory.

The most influencing argument of the Moldovan administration is that the Gagauz Turks are Christians. In its propaganda, the Moldovan administration uses the argument that if the Gagauz self-governing territory develops its relations with Turkey, Turkey will try to change their religions and all of the Gagauz Turks will have to choose Islam.

On the other hand, Moldova gives support to propaganda activities of Bulgaria and Russia. Moldovan newspapers always mention large job opportunities in Russia and Gagauz Turks are encouraged to migrate to those countries.

The Greek Cypriot Administration (GKRY) is also in activities!

Recently, it also began to deal with Gagauz Turks. It invites them to GKRY and holds organisations for them in the CIKKO Monastery which sees Turks as enemies. The aim is to make them identify themselves with an Orthodox identity rather than a Turkish identity.

There is something that these countries with these kinds of activities has missed! Gagauz people are first Turkish and then Christian. And every Turk becomes initially conscious of his nationality. Because even if the name of the nation he lives in is Moldova, everywhere he is a Turk!

The fact which Moldova and other countries know but do not want to accept is that Turkey do not interfere in either religion or language of any other nations, as in the Ottoman period. It is a historical fact that during the Ottoman period every nation was free to live in its own religious traditions and freely spoke its own language. Could Moldovans of the Ottoman Empire, who were allowed to live their own religious traditions and beliefs as Christians in the Ottoman Empire, easily forget that in later periods Russians took down their churches, exiled them to Siberia and took charge of their properties? Isn’t there anybody who will tell their grandchildren the torment of Christian Russians and tolerance of Muslim Ottomans?

If we turn back to today; the existence of churches all over Turkey and their high number are the signs that the Christians worship freely in Turkey. The preservation of historical churches is also the sign of the importance Turks give to different religious identities and ‘unity in diversity’ has always been the aim of Turkey.

In summary, Moldova, in its propaganda towards Turks should emphasise facts based on realities. Otherwise, it will be in a difficult situation either in the eyes of its own public or other countries.

On the other side, the most important condition for countries wishing to develop good relations with Turkey is to be sensitive to the problems and needs of Turkish minorities living within their territories.