ABTTF reacts Pavlopoulos statements denying the existence of the Turkish Minority

The European Western Thrace Turkish Federation (ABTTF) reacted to the statements of Former President Prokopis Pavlopoulos about the Western Thrace Turkish Minority in the Avgi newspaper.

Pavlopoulos claimed that the Muslim minority, as a "religious minority" in Western Thrace, was Greek by nationality, while the Greeks who settled in Turkey before 30 October 1918, especially in Istanbul and the Islands, were members of a pure national minority. Pavlopoulos argued that "Muslims in Thrace" could claim to enjoy all the rights granted to members of religious minorities without exception, but it was not possible for them to make demands that directly or indirectly question their Greek citizenship.

ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu said, “Former President of our country, Pavlopoulos, repeats the same thesis and makes unrealistic claims with his interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne. As he knows, according to the Treaty of Lausanne, the term 'non-Muslim' minority is used for the minority in Türkiye, not Greek. In other words, according to Lausanne, if the Minority in Western Thrace is the Muslim minority, the Minority in Türkiye is also the non-Muslim minority. Pretty clear! In addition, Pavlopoulos says that with our definition of a 'religious minority', we can take any legal action in accordance with the Constitution, European law and international law for all the rights enjoyed by religious minorities. He knows very well that our country does not fulfill the educational and religious autonomy of the Muslim minority, which it defines as a religious minority, as it claims. Because, with the laws enacted by the state over time, our educational and religious autonomy has been taken from us to a large extent, and we do not have an autonomous function in education and religion. We are speechless with saying it, but the old and new rulers of our country have not given up on making false statements in order to build the new reality they are trying to create with the aim of misleading the West, they do not give up.”