ABTTF: “This latest divide-and-rule scenario will not succeed!”
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President Halit Habip Oğlu drew attention to the recent challenges faced by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, declaring: “This latest divide-and-rule scenario will not succeed! No matter how many times they try, we are an indivisible community.”
In his statement, Habip Oğlu said:
“Our country has launched a new scenario based on the well-known ‘divide-and-rule’ tactic. The real target is to erase Turkish identity in Western Thrace. They invoked the Treaty of Lausanne, claiming that it recognizes only a ‘Muslim minority’ and not a Turkish one. With this pretext, associations were founded under the names ‘Hellenic Pomaks’ and ‘Hellenic Roma.’ They declared: ‘There are no Turks in Western Thrace!’ First, they shut down our associations that carried the word ‘Turk’ in their names. Then they blocked the establishment of new ones. Later, they even prohibited associations including the terms ‘minority,’ and most recently, ‘Western Thrace.’ Now, a new divide-and-rule scenario is being pushed forward through our religious identity. But we will not be deceived! We have already experienced this with the issue of the Mufti. Despite our treaty-guaranteed right, the Muftis elected by our people were not allowed to assume office; instead, the state appointed its own Muftis. Our people did not fear, did not retreat, and did not give up! Without falling for divide-and-rule tactics, our community continued to support its chosen representatives. This latest scenario, too, will not succeed. No matter how much they try, we remain an indivisible community!”
