ABTTF President: “When our country’s prime minister visited the Greek minority living in the south of Albania, which is not yet a member of the European Union, in December 2022, he was greeted with Greek flags by the Greek minority and even accompanied by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for part of the visit. However, when the Prime Minister of North Macedonia draws attention to the rights of the Macedonian minority living in our country, which has been a member of the European Union since 1981, he is accused of making propaganda about a so-called minority that does not exist. I don’t know what to say, I give up!”
President of the Patriotic Union Party Prodromos Emfietzoglou claimed in his statements to the press that there was propaganda about the ‘‘so-called’’ Macedonian minority in Greece.
Following the rejection of the lawsuit filed by the Florina Court of First Instance regarding the closure of the Centre for Macedonian Language, Emfietzoglou claimed that the statements of North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on the rights of the Macedonians and of the existence of a ‘‘so-called’’ Macedonian minority in Greece constitute an unrealistic and open propaganda.
In his statement published on the e-ptolemeos.gr news site, Emfietzoglou stated that Greece should not remain silent against this propaganda made by taking refuge in the Prespa Agreement and should not unconditionally support the integration of Skopje (North Macedonia) into the European Union.
“When will the politicians who play for the political leadership of our country and aspire to power will abandon this mentality that denies the facts? When our country’s prime minister visited the Greek minority living in the south of Albania, which is not yet a member of the European Union, in December 2022, he was greeted with Greek flags by the Greek minority and even accompanied by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for part of the visit. However, when the Prime Minister of North Macedonia draws attention to the rights of the Macedonian minority living in our country, which has been a member of the European Union since 1981, he is accused of making propaganda about a so-called minority that does not exist. I don’t know what to say, I give up! As it has been going on for years in our country, it is always ‘‘no’’ when it comes to complying with the principles of the European Union, especially the rule of law, but ‘‘yes’’ when it comes to financial aid from the European Union!”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.anadoluimages.com
