The FEP Party delegation headed by FEP Party Vice President was welcomed to the Secek field with a flourish of trumpets. The FEP Party delegation along with Secek Minority Education and Culture Association President Mesut Serif greeted the people and entered the field. Here Vice President Ozan Ahmetoglu communicated FEP Party President Mustafa Ali Cavus’s regards and wished success to Secek Landlord Yusuf Cakir.

FEP Party Vice President and Xanthi Turkish Union President Ozan Ahmetoglu during the protocol speeches made a speech and said the following:

‘Secek a 7 century, perhaps more than a 7 century cultural event keeps alive our culture, morals, identity, religion and beliefs. Dear Cognate, I believe the Secek Festival and oil wrestling is the most significant and historic event of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority which for centuries reflects our culture. I first came here in 1997. This year is my 20th year. For 20 years I may have not attended for a couple of years. I have continuously attended the Secek festivals and oil wrestling. In 1997 when I first came here, I remember the excitement as if yesterday. It made me very happy to see and live such a cultural asset with its cultural richness in the region of Western Thrace, where I live. Since then, as long as I live I have valued and will value these events. In 1997 when we came here, we visited the Seyit Ali Sultan Dervish Lodge, one of the Balkans and maybe Europe’s most important Islamic monuments. At that time we almost passed through a forest to find the dervish lodge. I feel the excitement like today when I first saw the Dervish Lodge. The Secek festival and oil wrestling is a very important event which is kept alive for seven centuries by the people of this region, the people of Secek from Mega Derio, Roussa, Kambi, Goniko and other villages. Since 1997, after the establishment of the Secek Minority Education and Culture Association, the event spread to other territories; Komotini, Xanthi, Xanthi’s Plain and Balakn region, Evros and the whole of Western Thrace, followed by neighbouring countries including Motherland Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece’s many regions. People, invitees, folk groups and artists have come to the region and have added wealth to the richness to what the people of this region have kept alive for many centuries. We as the Western Thrace Minority’s representatives and institutions call upon all to continue this tradition. We congratulate those who keep alive this event and the cognate of the region. We offer them our gratitude. From now on as Western Thrace Turks we promise to forever keep alive our cultural wealth of Secek events.’

The Secek Oil Wresting and Cultural Events were attended by FEP Party Vice President and Xanthi Turkish Union President Ozan Ahmetoglu, Vice President and South Evros Minority Education and Culture Association President Bekir Mustafaoglu, Vice President Refika Mehmet Adem, Leyla Salihoglu, Ismet Tuccar, Erdi Serif, Ramadan Duban, FEP Party Secretary General and Western Thrace Turkish Teachers Union President Aydin Ahmet, Women Branch President Duygu Mustafa, Youth Branch President Murat Ahmet, Board Member Yesim Hasan, President Advisor Bahri Belco, CEC Members Ismail Salih, Huseyin Haci Mehmet, Mustafa Sargo, Husniye Arabacioglu, Ali Salihoglu, Public Relations Unit members Ali Huseyin, Burak Adil, Gulsah Ahmet Ismail, Elif Mustafa and some MEP candidates.

Following the protocol speeches, there were folklore dances. 2017’s winner for Chief Wrestler was Niyazi Ibis from Komotini’s Ergani village.

As the FEP Party we congratulate everybody who contributed to this historical event and thank the Secek Minority Education and Culture Association for their kind invitation.