Habipoğlu: “The country’s leaders continue to distort the truth”
Comments made by Government Spokesperson and Deputy Prime Minister Pavlos Marinakis during a parliamentary speech—claiming significant progress in Greece’s economy, foreign policy, and institutional framework, as well as improvements in the rule of law—have drawn criticism from the Turkish community of Western Thrace.
In his address, Marinakis asserted that Greece has advanced in areas such as press freedom and journalist safety, citing the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report, and said that the government would continue its efforts in this direction.
Responding to these statements, Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), argued that Marinakis’ remarks do not reflect reality. He noted that despite the criticisms included in reports by the European Commission and the European Parliament, Marinakis chose to overlook systematic violations of the rule of law and several recent legal scandals.
Habipoğlu said:
“Marinakis’ statement fully reflects the long-standing policy of our country’s leaders to conceal the truth and ignore existing problems. As the Turkish community of Western Thrace, we know this stance very well. Our country has failed to implement for more than 17 years three European Court of Human Rights judgments concerning our community’s associations, disregarding the rule of law despite repeated warnings from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.”
He called on government officials to stop distorting the facts and emphasized the need for “genuine and honest efforts” to address the issues facing democracy and the rule of law.
