ABTTF President: “Unfortunately, in our country, Greece, there is a significant gulf between this ideal picture painted by President Tasoulas and the realities on the ground. One of the most striking examples of this is, without a doubt, the human rights violations and discrimination to which the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace has been subjected for years.”
The President of Greece, Konstantinos Tasoulas, delivered a speech at an event held at the Council of State on 23 October 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of Greece’s re-ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Council of Europe.
In his speech, Tasoulas emphasised that democracy and human rights cannot be considered separately and that both form the foundation of peace and prosperity; he also indicated that strengthening the rule of law requires constant effort and attention.
Highlighting the importance of the ECHR and the Council of Europe in safeguarding human dignity, freedom and shared European values, Tasoulas noted that every individual can feel secure in countries where the Convention is applied.
“As President Tasoulas emphasised in his speech, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are, of course, the fundamental principles upon which Europe is founded; however, the real issue lies in putting these principles into practice. Unfortunately, in our country, Greece, there is a significant gulf between the ideal picture painted by President Tasoulas and the realities on the ground. One of the most striking examples of this is, without a doubt, the human rights violations and discrimination to which the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace has been subjected for years. By failing to execute the European Court of Human Rights judgments concerning our associations in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases for nearly 19 years, our country is disregarding the Convention to which it is a party and the rule of law. Whilst the Western Thrace Turks continue their struggle to exercise their rights, as recognised under international law, the messages conveyed by our country’s leaders regarding democracy, human rights and the rule of law are doomed to remain nothing more than idealistic rhetoric’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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