Pierrakakis pays visit to Greek Orthodox minority schools in Istanbul
The Minister of Education, Religion and Sport, Mr Kiryakos Pierrakakis, paid a working visit to Istanbul to learn about the situation of the schools of the Greek Orthodox minority and to discuss the problems faced by Greek-language education and the most appropriate solutions for their improvement.
A similar visit to Western Thrace is expected to be organised by Yusuf Tekin, Minister of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye in the near future.
Pierrakakis, who met with the principals of the Greek Orthodox minority schools in Istanbul as well as representatives of associations and organisations supporting education in these schools, said that during his visit he had the opportunity to learn about many issues and that the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports will continue to support the educational needs of the Greek communities. During his visit to Istanbul, Pierrakakis also had a private meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Istanbul Bartholomew.
Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), said: "Our country's Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Pierrakakis is doing what needs to be done. It is normal for our country as a motherland to protect the Greek Orthodox minorities living abroad. However, we expect Pierrakakis to show the same sensitivity towards the problems experienced in the field of education by the Turkish community in Western Thrace, Greek citizens who share the same fate with the Greek Orthodox minority in our motherland Türkiye. The President of our motherland Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be in Athens on 7 December with a large delegation for the 5th High Cooperation Council meeting. In this meeting, the educational problems of our community and our demands will also be on the agenda. We demand the restoration of our educational autonomy, which is guaranteed by the Treaty of Lausanne, but which is not implemented in practice today with various laws and practices. We demand that the authorities respond positively to our demands for the construction of a new school building in Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary School and High School due to the insufficiency of the existing classrooms and the opening of bilingual Turkish minority kindergartens in Western Thrace. We hope and wish that Minister Pierrakakis will make surprise statements at the meeting in Athens regarding the just demands of our community regarding minority education which will make us happy."
Following the working visit of the Greek Minister of Education, Religion and Sports Pierrakakis to Istanbul to learn about the situation of the schools of the Greek Orthodox Minority and to discuss the problems faced by Greek education and the most appropriate solutions for their improvement, the Minister of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye Yusuf Tekin is expected to pay a working visit to Western Thrace to learn about the situation of the schools of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and to discuss the problems faced by Turkish education and the most appropriate solutions for their improvement and to inspect the Turkish Minority schools in Western Thrace.
