ABTTF President: ‘When our motherland protects our community, which shares the same fate with the Greek Orthodox minority in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne, and brings its issues to the forefront, for some reason our country perceives this as baseless and false news and provocation every time. As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we demand only and solely the restoration of our educational autonomy and educational rights that we have in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne. Nothing less and nothing more!"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece responded to Türkiye’s statement on the closure of Turkish primary schools in Western Thrace.
In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Türkiye of distorting the truth and claimed that Greece remains faithful to the Treaty of Lausanne. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the reason for the closure of minority schools in (Western) Thrace was that the minimum number of students, which should be 9, could not be met, and that 24 public schools were closed in the region as well as some minority schools, and claimed that this situation is an indication that minority students are treated equally and not discriminatorily.
‘‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that our country fully complies with all the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne, but our schools with autonomous status, who’s right to manage and supervise belongs to our community according to the Treaty of Lausanne, are closed on the pretext of lack of students. What a contradiction is this? Moreover, only recently, the Minister of Education of our country visited the schools belonging to the Greek Orthodox minority in Istanbul and listened to the issues of these schools on the ground, and moreover, presented the solution proposals of his Ministry regarding these particular issues. There was not a single negative reaction or statement from our motherland regarding this visit of the Minister. However, when our motherland protects our community, which shares the same fate with the Greek Orthodox minority in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne, and brings its issues to the forefront, for some reason, our country perceives this as unfounded and false news and provocation every time. As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we demand only and solely the restoration of our educational autonomy and educational rights that we have in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne. Nothing less and nothing more!’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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