ABTTF President: “Our country, which boasts at every opportunity of being the cradle of democracy, has a policy toward national minorities and a level of respect for minority rights that cannot even be compared to Poland. Our country, which disregards the rights of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace—rights guaranteed by national and bilateral treaties—and completely denies their existence and its ethnic Turkish identity, bans our associations bearing the word “Turkish” and has been systematically violating our educational and religious autonomy for years.”
The Greek community living in Poland was officially recognised as the country’s 10th national minority following an amendment to the Law on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Languages, signed by President Karol Nawrocki on 11 June 2026.
Under this new legal framework, Greek organisations in Poland will be eligible for state support for activities aimed at preserving culture, education, and identity; educational programs related to the Greek language, history, and culture may be organised; and events aimed at preserving Greek cultural heritage will be supported.
Additionally, Polish citizens of Greek origin will have the right to use their personal information in their traditional spelling on official documents, and election committees representing the Greek minority will be exempt from the 5% election threshold applied in Polish Parliamentary elections.
“Undoubtedly, this development marks a historic step for the Greek community in Poland, which numbers approximately 6,500. By officially recognising Greeks living in the country as a national minority, Poland—which joined the European Union (EU) in 2004—is giving a lesson in democracy to Greece, a country that has been an EU member since 1981. Our country, which boasts at every opportunity of being the cradle of democracy, has a policy toward national minorities and a level of respect for minority rights that cannot even be compared to Poland. Our country, which disregards the rights of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace—rights guaranteed by national and bilateral treaties—and completely denies their existence and its ethnic Turkish identity, bans our associations bearing the word “Turkish” and has been systematically violating our educational and religious autonomy for years. On the one hand, Poland’s national minority policy, which seeks to protect and promote the national identity, mother tongue, and culture of the Greek minority; on the other hand, our country’s official state policy—unparalleled in any other EU member state—aims to eradicate the Turkish identity of our minority and assimilate it…”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.anadoluimages.com
