Before the elections, discussions on the identity of Western Thrace Turks are on the agenda

The ongoing discussions sparked by the statements of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the leader of the New Democracy Party (NDP), regarding the high voting rates of Western Thrace Turks and directed at SYRIZA parliament members, continue to attract attention in the media.

A heated debate on the issue of Western Thrace took place between Angelos Sirigos, an important figure in the NDP known for his anti-Turkish Minority sentiments, international relations expert, and former Deputy Minister of Education, and Nikos Filis, a journalist and former Minister of Education from SYRIZA, during a program aired on Attica TV on the evening of June 7th.

In Greek politics, political parties occasionally launch attacks against each other by targeting the parliament members chosen from different parties by Western Thrace Turks.

The fact that Özgür Ferhat from Rodopi and Hüseyin Zeybek from Xanthi received high votes and were elected in the recent elections seems to have greatly bothered Mitsotakis, as he attributed this electoral success to the influence of the Turkish Consulate General in Komotini, claiming that this outcome was a result of the consulate's efforts.

Interestingly, Laftsi, the wife of Haritou, a SYRIZA candidate who was unable to be elected as a parliament member from Rodopi before Mitsotakis, also described the election of Özgür Ferhat as a success of the consulate, just like Mitsotakis. However, neither of these political figures has presented any evidence to support their claims.

While Mitsotakis' remarks may give the impression that he is putting pressure on Tsipras, according to the minority public opinion, it is stated that the main reason for Mitsotakis' aggression, which portrays Western Thrace Turks as a flock of sheep and does not respect the free will of the Turkish minority, is his failure to obtain the desired votes from Western Thrace Turks.

The continuous inability of Western Thrace Turks and the New Democracy Party to reconcile in recent years is attributed to Mitsotakis' constantly derogatory and aggressive rhetoric towards the Turkish minority.

Similar sentiments from Sirigos, known for his anti-Turkish Minority stance, during the TV program

During a program aired on Attica TV on the evening of June 7th, a heated debate on the issue of Western Thrace took place between Angelos Sirigos, an important figure in the NDP known for his anti-Turkish Minority sentiments, international relations expert, and former Deputy Minister of Education, and Nikos Filis, a journalist and former Minister of Education from SYRIZA.

Sirigos, claiming that SYRIZA parliament members advocate for the existence of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, asked Nikos Filis, "Do you share this view?" Filis responded to this question as follows: "We have our own view. The minority consists of three parts: those of Turkish origin who identify themselves as Turkish, as well as Pomaks and Roma."

When Sirigos stated, "This parliament member constantly refers to the minority as Turkish," Nikos Filis replied, "You are not listening to what they are actually saying. People have a demand. They want the census of minorities to be conducted. And they are right in their demands. The Greek state has not conducted a census of minorities in Thrace."

Responding to Sirigos' statement, "Such a census has not been conducted in Greece since 1951," Nikos Filis stated, "Why shouldn't it be conducted? The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities mentions the census. We have signed this convention, but we have not ratified it in parliament. These people want the implementation of this convention."

In the live program, when Sirigos asked Filis, "Do you believe there is a Turkish minority? Because both of your parliament members, especially the one from Rodopi, constantly mention the Turkish minority," Nikos Filis said, "The important point here is different. Is this person being persecuted because they advocate a certain view? According to us, the minority is a Muslim minority. This minority also consists of three parts."

When the program host asked Filis if they have any candidates who express a different view, he replied, "Yes, of course."

Western Thrace Turks are preparing to respond to those who do not respect their Turkish identity and democratic choices in the upcoming second round of elections on Sunday, June 25th, with their free will once again at the ballot box.