Members of the Assyrian Confederation of Europe meeting in Brussels. (AINA)
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AINA
2016-04-25
Brussels
(AINA) -- On April 22nd, the Assyrian Confederation of Europe was officially
established at the European Parliament in Brussels. The new organization is
meant to unify the voice of the 500,000 thousand Assyrians living in Europe by
bringing together the Assyrian national federations from several EU countries.
The
Confederation currently comprises the Assyrian Federations of Belgium, Germany
and Sweden. These Federations work to bring together the Assyrian populations,
associations and organizations in their countries, and the Confederation represents
the consolidation and expansion of their work at a European level. Several
other Assyrian organizations are in the process of joining the Confederation as
associate members or full members as national federations in their host
countries.
The
Assyrian Confederation of Europe and its constituents seeks to foster Assyrian
social, cultural and political activities and participation. With the
establishment of the Confederation, the Assyrians on the European continent can
both contribute to and gain from the other Assyrians. The pooling of Assyrian
resources, talent, and expertise will facilitate projects and endeavors in
every field pertaining to the social and cultural welfare of Assyrians in
Europe.
Assyrian
first came to Europe in the late 1910s and early 1920s, after the Turkish
genocide of Assyrians in 1915, which claimed 750,000 Assyrians (75%).
The
first Assyrians arrived in Marseilles and Toulouse in southern France. Since
then the exodus from the land known historically as Assyria has continued and
accelerated in recent years. Ethnic cleansing, kidnappings, massacres and
targeted killings along with the general turmoil in the Middle East continues
to drive Assyrians away from the Middle East.
Today
there are large Assyrian populations in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany,
France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Switzerland, and smaller populations
in Spain and Greece.
Members of the Assyrian Confederation of Europe meeting in Brussels. (AINA)
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