ABTTF President: “We always say that in our country, which prides itself on being the cradle of democracy, democracy is practically in the hands of a mindset that is highly distorted, ruled by prejudices and stereotypes!”
Politicians and members of the judiciary continue to object to the recognition of the ‘‘Centre for the Macedonian Language’’, which was established in Florina and whose establishment was registered by the court. Florina Prosecutor Anastasia Kalaitzis appealed against the decision of the Florina Criminal Court of Peace on 29 December 2022. Prosecutor Anastasia Kalaitzis’s objection to the decision of the Magistrate’s Court of Florina to recognise the ‘‘Centre for the Macedonian Language in Greece’’ will be discussed in Florina on 2/2/2023.
The Centre for the Macedonian Language, according to its statutes, was created with the aim to support the teaching of the Macedonian language to Greek citizens and support its promotion as an optional subject within the framework of the public schools and universities in the Greek regions of Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace as well as support the establishment of departments within Greek universities for the development of the Macedonian language teaching, curricula and teaching materials. Florina Prosecutor Kalaitzis opposed the recognition of the Centre for Macedonian Language, arguing that the recognition of the association was contrary to the Prespa Agreement signed between Greece and North Macedonia and that it was an attempt to create a Macedonian minority in the country. According to the news of the Birlik newspaper, the Florina Prosecutor claimed that the attempts made for the recognition of a foreign language, which is recognised as the language of a state bordering Greece in Macedonia and Thrace (Western) as well as of the established associations on Greek soil are in conflict with Greek order and security.
Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) made the following statement: “The objections to the establishment and registration of the Centre for the Macedonian Language show how deeply ingrained prejudice and stereotypes are in our country Greece. Indeed, in the objections formulated after the association was registered by the court, it was interpreted that the recognition of the association in question was a national issue, and it was claimed that the main purpose of the association was to create a Macedonian minority in Greece. The mentality which leads to these prejudices and stereotypes in our country, insists in not executing the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) which had ruled that Greece violated the freedom of association by arguing that according to the Treaty of Lausanne there is a Muslim minority with respect to the Xanthi Turkish Union, the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi and the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association. The judgments of the ECtHR, which have been pending to be executed since 2008, are still pending despite many decisions of the Committee of Ministers, because the executive and judiciary in our country are clearly reluctant to execute these judgments. We always say that in our country, which prides itself on being the cradle of democracy, democracy is practically in the hands of a mindset that is highly distorted, ruled by prejudices and stereotypes!”
