| The Turkman Front represents the Turkman in Northern Iraq. The Turkman Front was established on 24 April 1995. The early management was appointed to take office. On 31 August 1996, following the Iraqi attack at Arbil, offices of the Turkman political parties were raided. As a result of these attacks, many Turkman were arrested (34 persons). The Turkman political parties and organizations signed a new memorandum of understanding on 5 February 1997 to once again bring together all Turkman and to ensure unity and integrity among them. This memorandum played an important role in bringing together the Turkman, who were then almost completely disunited. It also paved the way for the Turkman convention.
The 1st Turkman Congress was held in Irbil on 4-7 October 1997. Turkman Associations in Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia were also represented at the Convention. The Convention was organized by the following prominent Turkman organizations: 1. Iraqi National Turkman Party 2. Turkmeneli Party 3. Turkman Independents' Movements 4. Turkman Brotherhood Association 5. Turkmeneli Cooperation and Culture Foundation 6. Iraqi Turks Culture and Assistance Association At the Convention, the by-laws of the Turkman Congress and Turkman Front were adopted. A 30-person Supreme Turkman Congress was elected. The Congress elected the president and the members of the Executive Board of the Turkman Front. The Council also established the rules and regulations for election of the political authority of the Turkman society. The President and the members of the Executive Board of the Turkman Front are presently composed of the representatives from four Turkman organizations as follows: - 1. Iraqi National Turkman Party 2. Turkmeneli Party 3. Turkman Independents' Movements 4. Turkman Brotherhood Association Turkmeneli Cooperation and Culture Foundation is conducting its activities at the national and international fora as an NGO Institutions under the Iraqi Turkman Front and their activities Foreign Relations and Political Affairs Department Health and Social Welfare Organisations Department Information Department Education Department – Research Department Security Department Turkmeneli Weekly published in Turkish and Arabic. A TV Channel which is on the air for 14 hours a day and a Radio Station broadcasting 18 hours a day in Turkish 15 primary and 3 high schools where medium of instruction is Turkish The organizational chart of the Turkman Supreme Council and the Turkman Front elected by the Turkman Convention and the Declaration of Fundamental Principles is enclosed herewith. TURKMAN RIGHTS In Iraq, there are two important documents that recognise the existence of the Iraqi Turkman and grant certain rights to them. We will discuss about the first document in detail due to its considerable importance. The second document is the resolution of the Council of the Revolutionary Command dated 24 January 1970. The resolution entitled "Cultural Rights of the Turkman Citizens" is composed of seven articles. The first three are related with education and training in the Turkman language. It provides for education in the Turkman language at primary schools. The remaining four articles are related with cultural rights: Establishment of the Union of Turkman Poets and Authors; Establishment of Turkman Cultural Directorate at the Ministry of Culture; Publication of a Weekly and a Monthly in the Turkman language. The articles related with the education in the Turkman language were suspended following two-years of partly implementation. The remaining four articles are still in effect, though partly. After a brief explanation about the second important document, we wish to discuss the first one in detail. This is an official declaration issued by the Iraqi Government in 1932 with the signature of Nuri Said, the then Prime Minister. It is entitled as follows |