Efforts to block Turkish language Education in Greek Parliament

Angelos Sirigos, a New Democracy Party (NDP) MP from Athens known for his anti-Turkish minority stance, once again provoked the Turkish community in Western Thrace with his statements in parliament. Sirigos, who consistently finds excuses against the demands of the Turkish minority, opposed the inclusion of Turkish in preschool education, calling it "provocative." His scandalous statements, which are contrary to the Lausanne Treaty, once again revealed his resentment towards the Turkish language and the educational demands of the Turkish minority.

MP Angelos Sirigos responded to Rodopi New Left MP Özgür Ferhat, who raised the issues of minority education in Western Thrace from the parliamentary podium. Referring to Ferhat's claim that minority schools were being closed under the pretext of a lack of students, Sirigos stated, "Unfortunately, this is not an excuse. The number of students is decreasing, and therefore, schools are closing. People living in remote and mountainous areas are migrating to big cities. This is a reality."

Sirigos argued that maintaining a school with only 10 students is not pedagogically sound, saying, "Imagine a school with only three or four students. This is in no way pedagogical." He also disagreed with Ferhat's assertion that minority schools lag behind in terms of equipment, claiming that minority schools are on par with state schools in this regard.

Forcing Turkish on Young Children is Provocative
Addressing the demand for bilingual minority kindergartens, Sirigos emphasized that there are ethnic groups in Thrace that do not speak Turkish. "There are groups that speak Pomak, Romani, and Turkish at home. Bilingual kindergartens would be either in Greek or Turkish. I think forcing Turkish on young children is provocative. There is no specific curriculum in kindergartens. A program is implemented to reveal the children's skills and prepare them for primary education. Let's not impose a different linguistic identity on children or pressure them from the early years of their education."

Efforts to Block Turkish Language Education and Resentment Towards Turkish
Sirigos's statements reveal his resentment towards the Turkish language and the educational demands of the Turkish minority. Sirigos, who consistently finds excuses against the demands of the Turkish minority, opposes the inclusion of Turkish in preschool education by citing the presence of other ethnic groups in the region. However, this attitude seems to ignore the rights of the Turkish minority recognized by the Lausanne Treaty and serves as a pretext for not accepting Turkish as an educational language. Sirigos's statements have been interpreted by the Turkish minority as a clear effort to block their educational rights.

Reaction from ABTTF to Sirigos
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) reacted to Angelos Sirigos's statements regarding minority education and the demand for bilingual kindergartens. ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu said, "I read with astonishment the statements of MP Sirigos from our country's ruling party, disregarding the right of our children to be educated in their mother tongue. With the permission of our motherland, a Greek primary school is opened in Gökçeada for only three students upon the request of the Greek Orthodox minority, who share the same fate as us under the Lausanne Treaty. In Romania, a Greek primary school was allowed to open for 20 students in 2008 through the initiative of the Greek minority. Meanwhile, our country uses the excuse of a low number of students to close our autonomous Turkish primary schools one by one every year, ignoring our demand for bilingual minority kindergartens for years. While bilingual kindergartens can be opened without issue in other EU member states, our government should consider and fulfill our community's demand for bilingual kindergartens as both citizens and voters."

Angelos Sirigos, known for his anti-Turkish minority stance, opposed the inclusion of Turkish in preschool education, calling it "provocative."