Turkish PM to meet minority groups for iftar dinner

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan will register a first Sunday when he sits down to the fast-breaking, or iftar, dinner with all 161 minority foundations.

Foundation representatives are expected to ask ErdoÄŸan to carefully consider their communities when writing the new constitution.

Istanbul’s Archaeology Museum in Sultanahmet will host the dinner that will include, alongside the country’s main minorities – Jews, Armenians and Greek Orthodox – representatives of the Bulgarian, Chaldean, Georgian and Latin Catholic Foundations.

ErdoÄŸan prompt decision to attend the meal reportedly pleased members of minority communities greatly.

The initiative for the banquet came from Laki Vingas, the head of RUMVADER, an umbrella organization for all Greek foundations. Vingas is also a member of the General Assembly of the Directorate General of Foundations, as well as a spokesperson for community foundations.

Minority community representatives have hosted the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate and several political figures in recent years. Last year, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç also met with representatives of minority foundations over an iftar meal that was organized by Vingas.

In Turkey, there are 161 total registered foundations belonging to the official minorities and other Christian communities, the majority of which are in Istanbul

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkish-pm-to-meet-minority-groups-for-iftar-dinner-2011-08-26