Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe be declared as having lost Greek nationality...” The Turkish minority was forced to migrate. While the vast majority of migration wave was towards Turkey, some groups chose to migrate to other European countries, in particular to Germany. Today, the population of Western Thrace Turks in Germany amounts to 30,000. A considerable number of Western Thrace Turks live in other EU Member States, such as the Netherlands, England, Sweden, France, Belgium and Austria. The need to keep alive their cultural values and maintain solidarity in their host countries led the Western Thrace Turks to create collectively created associations. In Germany, the
Thrace Foundation June 2009, a large team from the Thrace Foundation and Russia’s State Museum of Eastern Art presented an exhibition titled "The Salvaged Treasures of Ancient Thrace" in Moscow, which featured elements from the Vassil Bojkov Collection. The exhibition was part of "Тhe Year of Bulgaria in Russia" initiative and was held under the patronage of Russia’s and Bulgaria’s Ministries of Culture. This exhibition was the first public event of the new Bulgarian Union of Private Collectors. The organisation was established in March 2010, with Professor Valeri Stefanov as its chair. Sofia’s National Gallery of Foreign Art unveiled the exhibition on