ABTTF President: “When we read Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s statement, we once again clearly see the double standard our country applies when it comes to protecting minority rights. Our country, which has been an EU member since 1981, has been systematically violating the rights and freedoms of the Turkish community in Western Thrace—whose members hold both Greek and EU citizenship—for decades, treating us like stepchildren”.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made remarks regarding the Greek national minority in Albania during a press conference held as part of the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair (DETH).
Noting that the protection of the Greek national minority is not merely a matter specific to bilateral relations between Greece and Albania but is directly linked to obligations arising from the protection of minority rights under European law and the European Union (EU), Mitsotakis indicated that Greece would exercise its rights within the framework of Albania’s EU accession process to ensure that minority rights are absolutely safeguarded.
“It is perfectly normal and understandable for our country, Greece—as the motherland of the Greek national minority—to demand the protection of the rights of the Greek national minority living in Albania during its EU accession process. However, when we read Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s statement, we once again clearly see the double standard our country applies when it comes to protecting minority rights. Our country, which has been an EU member since 1981, has been systematically violating the rights and freedoms of the Turkish community in Western Thrace—whose members hold both Greek and EU citizenship—for decades, treating us like stepchildren. Our country, which denies our community’s Turkish national identity and bans our associations bearing the word “Turkish”, has disregarded the rule of law—one of the EU’s most fundamental values—by failing to execute the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) rulings against it regarding violations of our community’s freedom of association for over 18 years. We would like to reiterate that the Copenhagen Criteria—concerning democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human and minority rights—are absolutely binding not only for EU candidate countries but also for the EU’s current 27 Member States and, consequently, for our country”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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