ABTTF President: “The leaders and prominent politicians of our country, in their statements made during their visits to Greek Orthodox schools and churches in Istanbul, Gökçeada and Bozcaada, consistently and exclusively use the term ‘‘Greek minority’’. However, the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne refer to minorities in our motherland solely as ‘‘non-Muslim minorities’’. Therefore, what these circles are doing in our country is outright double standards!”
In a news article published on 26 July 2025 on the news website Nikh.gr, it was claimed that President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s social media post marking the 30th anniversary of the death of Dr Sadık Ahmet, leader of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, was provocative.
The article claims that President Erdoğan’s post disregards the Treaty of Lausanne and belittles Greece, stating that there is only a ‘‘Muslim minority’’ in Western Thrace based on religion, not ethnicity.
The report also claimed that Türkiye wants to implement expansionist plans in (Western) Thrace and called on the government to respond to the Turkish President’s provocative post and veto Türkiye’s participation in European Union (EU) support programmes.
In a social media post on 24 July 2025, President Erdoğan noted the following: ‘‘I remember with mercy Dr Sadık Ahmet, who played a major role in the gains of our Turkish brothers in Western Thrace, on the 30th anniversary of his passing. We will continue to stand by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace with all our means’’.
“President Erdoğan’s social media post, which emphasised our community’s Turkish identity and reiterated our motherland’s unwavering support for the Western Thrace Turks, has once again upset certain segments of our country for some reason. Just as our country stands by the Greek Orthodox minority in Albania, whose fate was determined by the Treaty of Lausanne, our motherland also stands by our community unconditionally and protects our rights. The leaders and prominent politicians of our country, in their statements made during their visits to Greek Orthodox schools and churches in Istanbul, Gökçeada and Bozcaada, consistently and exclusively use the term ‘‘Greek minority’’. However, the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne refer to minorities in our motherland solely as ‘‘non-Muslim minorities’’. Therefore, what these circles are doing in our country is outright double standards!” We also take this opportunity to remind these circles of the latest judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in June 2025 against our country for refusing to register our association bearing the word “Turkish’’ and we call on our country to immediately cease its policy of denying the Turkish identity of our community”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.anadoluimages.com
