Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs replies to statements about the mufti offices
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in response to the reactions to the innovations made to the law on the mufti. In the statement made on Thursday, August 4, it was claimed that the new regulation was made in accordance with democracy and the constitution and that the mufti office problem would be solved.
The statement included the following:
"Announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the new Law on the modernization of Muftis:
Türkiye, this time on the occasion of the new law on the modernization of the Mufti Offices recently passed by the Hellenic Parliament, distorts the reality again.
The new law, which was drafted after a long consultation with representatives of the Minority, creates a modern and comprehensive institutional framework for Mufti offices in Thrace.
It is fully compatible with the Constitution of Greece and the country's international obligations, as defined by the Treaty of Lausanne, the European Convention on Human Rights, the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the principles and precepts of Islam.
Key components of the new law are transparency at all stages of selection procedures. the assurance of broad representativeness, through an Advisory Committee made up exclusively of our Muslim fellow citizens from Thrace. Τhe nomination by the Advisory Committee, without state intervention, of the most suitable persons for the staffing of the Mufti officces, but also the provision for greater participation of women in the selection process, a pioneering and innovative element based on the internationally applicable rules regarding the nomination of a Muslim religious leader.
Greece, fully respecting its obligations towards the Muslim Minority in Thrace arising from the Treaty of Lausanne, will continue to follow a structured minority policy which promotes the well-being of the Minority.
Our Muslim fellow citizens in Thrace live in a European country.
They enjoy everything that a democratic and privileged state provides to all its citizens, without exceptions.
Let Türkiye consider, before making suggestions to anyone, how many of the articles of the Lausanne Treaty it has itself respected.
For what reasons and with what systematic policies of Ankara, the once thriving Greek Minority in Constantinople, Imbro and Tenedo has almost disappeared.
Türkiye, until it provides honest and convincing answers to these relentless questions, will continue to be accountable both to its own citizens whom it has forced to flee their ancestral homes, and to the international community.
Such an exercise of honest self-criticism would be useful primarily for Türkiye but also for the future of relations between our two countries."
