Greece persistently disregards the rights and freedoms of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace guaranteed under the Lausanne Peace Treaty, by not recognizing their elected Muftis.

The recent process of determining an “appointed Mufti” in Didymoteicho under the guise of “elections”, without consulting the representatives and institutions of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, is now also being attempted in Rodopi and Xanthi. We cannot accept these practices. We would like to once again draw the attention of the international community to the fact that Greece does not recognize the elected religious leaders of an official minority in its territory.

We emphasize that an end to Greece’s repressive practices toward our kinsmen will positively impact our bilateral relations. We call on the Greek authorities to turn back from the wrong path they are persistently following regarding the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace.

Türkiye, also keeping its contractual obligations in view, will continue to closely follow up the protection of the rights of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace.