Sakellaropoulou again distorted the facts about the Turkish Minority
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne a conference was held in Athens. President Sakelaropulu again distorted the facts about the Turkish Minority at the conference.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, a conference was held in Athens by Kapodistrian University and the think tank European and Foreign Policy Foundation (ELIAMEP).
In her opening speech at the conference, Greek President Katerina Sakelaropulu emphasized that the Treaty of Lausanne still has great importance for both the region and the world, and again ignored the existence of the "Turkish Minority" in Western Thrace.
The Western Thrace Turkish Minority's public reaction to this denial attitude of Sakelaropulu was reflected with the words "same songs" and "one more manipulation".
"Lausanne has an important role in ensuring peace"
Stating that Lausanne was instrumental in drawing borders in the near geography and the Middle East, Sakelaropulu underlined that the treaty played an important role in ensuring peace after the First World War.
Expressing that one of the most striking elements of the agreement was the Population Exchange between Türkiye and Greece, Sakelaropulu said, "There are very few agreements that are as continuous as Lausanne.
The signatory states sought stability by reaching an agreement that redefined borders and territorial sovereignty. "Any effort to overthrow this will inevitably undermine peace, stability and the balance that has remained unchanged for a century," she said.
Sakelaropulu has again distorted the facts regarding the Western Thrace Turkish Minority
Addressing the issue of minorities in the two countries, President Sakelaropulu repeated her statements that ignore the existence of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace as usual. It was noteworthy that the President used the term "Greek Orthodox Christian" for the minority in Istanbul, while referring to the minority in Western Thrace as "Muslim".
Stating that “Muslims” in Western Thrace and “Greek Orthodox Christians” in Istanbul, Gökçeada and Bozcaada are excluded from the population exchange, Sakellaropulu stated that the Treaty of Lausanne clearly defines the framework for the protection of the rights of both minorities.
Sakellaropulu again distorted the facts by saying that the Muslim minority in Thrace is improving, but the Greek minority in Türkiye is steadily declining.
"Lausanne was influential in the construction of national identity"
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Evangelos Venizelos stated that the Treaty of Lausanne was effective in building national identity and state for both Türkiye and Greece.
Pointing out that the two countries have been members of NATO since 1952, Venizelos noted that in order to resolve the conflicts between the two countries, there should be a political intention as well as a perception of history and geography.
"There is momentum, this momentum needs to be used for the benefit of both countries and regional stability," Venizelos said.
The academics who took the floor at the conference touched upon the population exchange between Türkiye and Greece within the framework of the Treaty of Lausanne and examined the legal, sociological, economic and political consequences of the exchange.
Stating that the treaty was also the birth of the Turkish Republic, Greek speakers said that it also meant the end of the Megali Idea of Greece.
"Territorial waters can also be negotiated"
Former Ambassador and Advisor to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs Panayotis Ioakimidis emphasized that a common ground should be found for the settlement of disputes between Türkiye and Greece.
Pointing out that Greece wants to discuss only the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and Türkiye wants to discuss many issues including the disarmament of the islands, Ioakimidis said that a middle way should be found and territorial waters can be added to the topics to be discussed.
