Turkish FM Fidan highlights Turkish minority of Wester Thrace rights
At the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers in New York, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan placed a strong spotlight on the continuing human rights violations faced by the Muslim Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and the Turkish population in Greece’s Dodecanese Islands.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly high-level week, Fidan emphasized that these communities are still denied basic rights and freedoms, calling on OIC member states to stand in solidarity with them. “The Western Thrace Turkish Minority and the Turkish community in the Dodecanese are subject to persistent, systematic violations,” he said, urging stronger support and international engagement on their behalf.
According to TRTGLOBAL he also underlined that Cyprus and Western Thrace Turkish Minority remain central issues in Türkiye’s foreign policy, and encouraged direct engagement with Turkish Cypriots, advocating for their inherent rights on the international stage.
The Turkish foreign minister says Israel has become "a rogue actor blinded by the dreams of 'Greater Israel' under the Netanyahu regime".
Shifting to broader regional concerns, Fidan issued a stern warning about what he called two major threats: Israel’s ongoing campaign of genocide in Gaza and its annexation efforts in the West Bank, and its "calculated expansionism" that is destabilizing the region.
“Israel has become a rogue actor blinded by the dreams of ‘Greater Israel’ under the Netanyahu regime,” Fidan stated. He called for a unified stance from OIC members to halt arms shipments to Israel and to support international legal action, including proceedings at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Fidan also stressed the importance of turning growing international recognition of Palestine into full UN membership for the State of Palestine, while intensifying efforts to hold Israel accountable on the global stage.
Regarding Syria, Fidan noted that its stability is crucial for the region and highlighted Israeli attacks in Syria as a threat to peace. He urged OIC countries to support the reconstruction process in Syria, with a focus on long-term stability.
In addition, Fidan denounced the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment worldwide, citing racist and Islamophobic attacks against Muslim communities. He called for a coordinated, collective response from the Islamic world to combat hate and discrimination.
