The resolution, jointly submitted by ABTTF, WTMUGA and the FEP Party, called on Greece to re-establish the religious autonomy of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and to respect their right to elect their own religious leaders.
Representing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) and the Friendship, Equality and Peace (FEP) Party attended the 70th annual congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) which was held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, from 17 to 20 September 2026.
Representing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace at the Congress were, from ABTTF, President Halit Habip Oğlu, Vice-Presidents Nabi İbrahimcik and Mustafa Kasap, and International Relations Director Melek Kırmacı; from WTMUGA, Human Rights Expert Dr Pervin Hayrullah; and Kerem Abdurahimoğlu, Vice-President of the European Free Alliance (EFA) from the FEP Party.
At the official opening of the Congress, hosted by Folktinget – the representative body of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland – speeches were delivered by Daniel Sazonov, Mayor of Helsinki; Henrik Wickström, Chair of Folktinget and Member of the Finnish Parliament; and Olivia Schubert, President of FUEN. The Congress addressed minority languages in public broadcasting, language rights in health and social services, and the barriers to cross-border access to minority languages in the digital sphere.
During the FUEN working group meetings held as part of the congress, the Working Group on Turkic Minorities/Communities (TAG) also convened to assess the current issues facing Turkish minorities and communities across Europe.
The delegation from the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace also took part in a study visit to Mattlidens School, which provides primary and secondary education in Swedish, and gained insight into the school’s operations, curriculum and educational model.
Religious autonomy of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace on the FUEN agenda
At the FUEN Assembly of Delegates held on the third day of the Congress, a draft resolution titled ‘‘Ongoing Interference in the Religious Autonomy of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and Violations of Religious Freedoms’’, jointly submitted by ABTTF, WTMUGA and the FEP Party, was put to a vote and adopted.
The resolution noted that the religious status and rights of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace are guaranteed by the 1913 Treaty of Athens and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, and that, within this framework, the Minority has the right to elect its own religious leaders—the muftis—and to administer its religious institutions.
The resolution highlighted that, since 1991, muftis have been appointed by the state, and noted that, under Law No. 4964/2022, the offices of mufti have been transformed into public services under the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport. It was noted that the appointment of a mufti to Didymoteicho in 2026, along with the initiation of processes to appoint new muftis in Xanthi and Komotini, were cited as examples; it was indicated that these practices were incompatible with the religious autonomy of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and their right to elect their own religious leaders.
The ruling also highlighted the principles of equality and the prohibition of discrimination, noting that Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical religious communities in Greece have the right to elect their own religious leaders, whereas the religious institutions of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace remain under state control.
The resolution also referred to the incidents that took place at the Çınar Mosque in Xanthi during Friday prayers on 11 October 2024, noting that four Western Thrace Turks were subsequently sentenced to 17 months’ imprisonment in the ensuing court case.
In the resolution adopted by the FUEN Assembly of Delegates, Greece was called upon to grant the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace the same religious autonomy as other religious communities in the country, along with the right to elect their own religious leaders, to put an end to the practice of state-appointed muftis, to re-establish the minority’s religious autonomy, and to recognise and respect its elected representatives in matters concerning its religious institutions and religious life.
A resolution concerning the rights of the Turks of Rhodes and Kos was also adopted
At the FUEN Assembly of Delegates, the draft resolution titled ‘‘Protecting the Rights of the Turkish Minority in Rhodes and Kos’’, submitted by the Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROİSDER), was put to a vote and adopted.
The resolution called upon Greece to recognise the rights of the Turks of Rhodes and Kos to freely express their ethnic identity and to organise themselves; to permit the opening of bilingual schools offering education in both Turkish and Greek; to respect their religious autonomy and their right to elect their own religious leaders; to ensure they determine the management of their foundations; and to protect their Turkish cultural heritage and historical monuments. Greek authorities were also urged to engage in dialogue with representatives of the Turks of Rhodes and Kos to resolve their long-standing issues.
