PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE)
East-Turkistan.Net
contact@East-Turkistan.Net
21 February 2025
Washington, D.C. – The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) strongly condemns Türkiye’s disgraceful collaboration with China, which directly enables Beijing’s ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in the Turkic fatherland of East Turkistan. By strengthening economic and political ties and engaging in so-called “counterterrorism” cooperation, Türkiye is actively aiding China’s efforts to eradicate East Turkistan and its native Turkic population.
On February 20, 2025, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the G20 Summit further exposed Türkiye’s complicity. During the meeting, both sides pledged to strengthen “counterterrorism” cooperation and expand economic ties, reinforcing Türkiye’s alignment with China’s efforts to eradicate East Turkistan and its people.
“So-called ‘counterterrorism’ cooperation is a thinly veiled cover for Türkiye actively aiding China’s colonization, genocide, and occupation of East Turkistan and helping China monitor, infiltrate, and control Uyghur diaspora communities and organizations to undermine East Turkistan’s independence struggle,” warned ETGE Foreign and Security Minister Salih Hudayar.
A day later, on February 21, 2025, Turkish Deputy Trade Minister Mahmut Gürcan visited Urumchi, the capital of Occupied East Turkistan, and met with Chinese colonial officials, including Ma Xingrui and Erken Tuniyaz. The visit further demonstrated Türkiye’s willingness to side with China against its fellow Turkic kin in Occupied East Turkistan. During these meetings, both sides pledged to expand cooperation on all levels. Every deal signed and every forum attended legitimizes and supports China’s occupation and colonization of East Turkistan and the genocide of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples.
ETGE President Dr. Mamtmin Ala condemned Türkiye’s betrayal in the strongest terms. “Türkiye’s government presents itself as a defender of the oppressed while actively selling out tens of millions of Turkic people in Occupied East Turkistan to tyranny. This is a government that hypocritically speaks of ‘Turkic solidarity’ while collaborating with a genocidal regime that seeks to eradicate Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in the very cradle of Turkic civilization—East Turkistan,” he said. “The government of Türkiye’s treacherous actions will be remembered as one of the greatest betrayals in Turkic history.”
The ETGE warns that the Government of Türkiye’s treachery will not go unnoticed nor forgotten. By aligning itself with China’s imperialist and genocidal policies, Türkiye risks irreparably damaging its credibility among Turkic and Muslim nations. The Government of Türkiye must immediately end all intelligence and security cooperation with China, which enables the persecution of Uyghurs and other East Turkistani people. It must halt all economic and diplomatic engagements that legitimize China’s illegal occupation and genocide.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile will continue to expose and resist all forms of complicity in China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity. The international community must take decisive action against China’s ongoing genocide. Governments worldwide must address the root cause of this atrocity by officially recognizing East Turkistan as an occupied country and condemning China’s colonization.
If the world is truly committed to human rights, the principles of self-determination, and the promise of “never again,” then it must actively support the East Turkistani people’s right to national self-determination and the full restoration of their independence. The ETGE reiterates that restoring East Turkistan’s independence is the only way to end China’s ongoing genocide and ensure the survival of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.