A Turkish university will establish a Romani (Gypsy) Research Center within the framework of initiatives to solve problems of Romani citizens.

The Adnan Menderes University (ADU) in the Aegean province of Aydin will set up a Romani Research and Practice Center.

This will be the first time a center will be established in Turkey to search the cultural features and social lives of Romani citizens.

The university has set up a committee to make necessary preparation for the center. The committee will write a regulation, and send it to the Higher Board of Education (YOK) after it is ratified by the university senate.

The regulation will take effect after YOK approves it and it is published in the Official Gazette.

A workshop on Romani citizens took place in Turkey on December 10, 2009 within the scope of initiatives pioneered by State Minister Faruk Celik. Participants learned the problems and expectations of Romani citizens during the workshop, prepared a report and submitted it to the Council of Ministers.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Romani citizens on March 14, 2010.

Also, the Interior Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament will begin on Thursday to debate a bill amending a law on residence and travel rights of foreigners in Turkey.

An article of the mentioned law says, "the Interior Ministry is authorized with deportation of gypsies with no nationality or with a foreign nationality, and foreign nomads who are not bound to Turkish culture."

The bill demands annulment of this article.

The government plans to bring the bill to the Parliament General Assembly as soon as possible.

After this article of the mentioned law is annulled, Turkey will get rid of discriminative implementations against the Romani citizens.


AA