The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) paid a working visit to Brussels, the capital of the European Union (EU), on 26 September 2023.
ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu, accompanied by Deniz Servantie from ABTTF Brussels Office, met with the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, France) from the Corsica region of France within the framework of his working visit.
Current issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace were conveyed
During the meeting with MEP Alfonsi, the current issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the latest developments in Greece and Western Thrace were discussed.
During the meeting, ABTTF President Habip Oğlu indicated that the educational autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace is guaranteed by virtue of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but that this educational autonomy was taken away from the Turkish community with various laws and practices over the years, and that Turkish primary schools with autonomous status in Western Thrace are being closed down by unilateral ministerial decisions one by one every year under the pretext of the lack of sufficient pupils. Furthermore, Habip Oğlu added that 9 more Turkish primary schools belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace were closed in the 2023-2024 school year, and while there were 194 Turkish primary schools in Western Thrace in 2008, this number decreased to 90 today.
Moreover, Habip Oğlu noted that the protest against the imposition of shift teaching by the Directorate of Secondary Education of Xanthi at the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary High School has entered its 9th day and explained that the Greek authorities persistently continue to ignore the legitimate demands of the Turkish community in Western Thrace regarding education.
Habip Oğlu stated that the Turkish community in Western Thrace was directly targeted, marginalised, and stigmatised in politics and mainstream media during the general elections in Greece in May and June 2023, and indicated that the free will and democratic choice of the voters who voted for Turkish candidates in the elections was ignored.
