ABTTF President: ‘‘While in real democracies, national minorities are considered as a source of wealth within a multicultural and multilingual structure, in our country the issue of national minorities and of that of the Turkish community in Western Thrace is taboo and treated as a threat to national security and public order! For this reason, a truly democratic transformation in the country is not politically possible, because the deep state always has a priority and an unquestionable role in these matters!”
The scandal is growing as it was revealed that the phones of PASOK-KINAL President and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Nikos Androulakis and journalist Thanasis Koukakis were tapped by Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP).
Regarding the scandal that resulted in the resignation of EYP Director Panagiotis Kontoleon and General Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office Grigoris Dimitriadis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that although the wiretapping was done legally, it could not be accepted politically, and that the situation developed without his knowledge.
Following the statement made by Mitsotakis, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou called for a thorough investigation of the issue, indicating that the principle of transparency in state affairs is an indicator of democracy, and called for the improvement of the functioning of the EYP. The President reminded that the exceptions to be applied to privacy laws on the grounds of national security should be proportionate and compatible with the basic principles of law. Meanwhile, the European Commission noted that it expected the government in Greece to conduct an in-depth investigation.
In response to Mitsotakis’ comments, Nikos Androulakis said that his secrecy as a party leader was clearly violated, and that Mitsotakis regularly refrained from making statements about the established deep state order. Androulakis demanded that the EYP make a clear and unambiguous statement regarding his hearing.
“With the scandal that erupted with Androulakis and Koukakis, it became clear that while our country is seemingly democratic, in reality it has another face. The wiretapping scandal, which is said to be legally motivated on national security grounds, ignores the principles of democracy and the rule of law. Considering the fact that EYP was directly linked to the Prime Minister under the New Democracy government, the Prime Minister bears primary responsibility in this scandal. If we accept that the wiretapping took place without the knowledge of Mitsotakis, the question arises as to what else the cadres we call the deep state are doing in our region and in our country under conditions where intelligence can listen to a party leader without the knowledge of the country’s prime minister. We are aware that the deep state constitutes a major obstacle to democratisation. Indeed, while in real democracies, national minorities are considered as a source of wealth within a multicultural and multilingual structure, in our country the issue of national minorities and of that of the Turkish community in Western Thrace is taboo and treated as a threat to national security and public order! For this reason, a truly democratic transformation in the country is not politically possible, because the deep state always has a priority and an unquestionable role in these matters! The government should conduct a serious investigation into this scandal, and it should be a step towards democratic transformation in the country’s governance’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: https://haber.aa.com.tr/
