ABTTF President: “We call on our country Greece to return our right to freely elect the administrative boards of our foundations (waqfs) by reminding it of its responsibilities and obligations arising from the Treaty of Lausanne.”
The Greek media reported that the Greek state did not allow the election of administrative boards of foundations (waqfs) belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace.
The news article published on 10.03.2021 in I Avgi, one of Greece’s national newspapers, states that since the Junta of the Colonels seized power in 1967, the administrative boards of foundations (waqfs) belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace have been appointed by the Greek state, resulting in the Turkish community in Western Thrace being removed from the administration of foundations and the using of their property. The article also notes that although a law on foundations (waqfs) has been adopted, the circulars for its implementation have not yet been published.
“As it has also been clearly expressed in the article in I Avgi newspaper, our country Greece has been appointing the administrative boards of our foundations (waqfs) since 1967 in violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. Despite the fact that the Article 40 of the Treaty of Lausanne guarantees the Turkish community in Western Thrace the right to establish, manage and control at its own expense its own foundations (waqfs), it has been deprived of this right for more than half a century. Despite the opposition of the Turkish community in Western Thrace to Law No. 3647 dated 2008 which has been adopted by the Greek Parliament, it has not solved the problem but rather paved the way for the sale of foundation properties and the transfer to local authorities. On the other hand, Jews, Catholics and Armenians living in Greece can freely elect the administration management of their community structures, and the Greek state does not interfere with these communities and their real estate. We call on our country Greece to return our right to freely elect the administrative boards of our foundations (waqfs) by reminding it of its responsibilities and obligations arising from the Treaty of Lausanne”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
