17 March 2010 / KADRİ KILIÇ , EDİRNE
Mustafa Büyük, the governor of Edirne, the biggest province in the region of Thrace, known for its considerably large population of Roma people, has guaranteed jobs for all university graduates from the Roma community.
In a move to support the government’s democratic initiative, which aims to find solutions to problems faced by country’s ethnic minorities, including the Roma, Büyük said they would find jobs for all Roma who complete a four-year university degree. Büyük’s pledge came as a concrete step to support the initiative. “We promise that we are going to see that all those who complete a four-year university degree are employed,” he said.This is not the first example of his inclusive policy towards the Roma community. The Edirne Governor’s Office has embarked upon other projects, ranging from providing scholarships for students and financial assistance and vocational training programs for their parents to enable them to establish their own businesses to constructing sports centers to reduce the youth crime rate. Büyük said they also aim to provide them with housing in coordination with the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ).
Stressing that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with the Roma had a positive effect on the ground, Büyük said it also enabled them to review their previous projects once again. Prime Minister Erdoğan met with 10,000 Roma from across the country in İstanbul on Sunday where he reiterated his government’s commitment to include every citizen of Turkey in the democratic initiative, which was launched to improve democratic standards, human rights and respect for differences in the country.
