Meeting in Komotini addresses education issues of Western Thrace Turkish Community

A meeting was held in Komotini on March 10 to discuss the educational challenges faced by the Western Thrace Turkish community.

The meeting took place at the Western Thrace Minority Higher Education Association (BTAYTD) headquarters and was attended by:

• Halit Habipoğlu, President of the European Federation of Western Thrace Turks (ABTTF)
• Dr. Hüseyin Baltacı, President of WTMUGA
• Çiğdem Asafoğlu, President of the Friendship, Equality, and Peace (FEP) Party
• Aydın Ahmet, President of the Western Thrace Turkish Teachers' Union (BTTÖB)
• Mehmet Duban, President of the Union of Minority School Committees
• Ozan Ahmetoğlu, President of the Xanthi Turkish Minority Middle and High School Committee
• Fuat Parende, President of the Komotini Celal Bayar Turkish Minority Middle and High School Committee

Key Issues Discussed:
✅ Violation of Educational Autonomy: The participants highlighted that Greece has systematically undermined the educational autonomy guaranteed by the 1923 Lausanne Treaty through unilateral legal changes and policies.

✅ School Closures: It was noted that Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace have been closed under the pretext of low student numbers, violating their educational autonomy.

✅ Bilingual Kindergarten Ban: Despite the Turkish community forming the majority in Komotini and nearly half the population in Xanthi, Greek authorities refuse to allow the establishment of Turkish-Greek bilingual minority kindergartens.

✅ Infrastructure Issues: The Xanthi Turkish Minority Middle and High School continues to face severe building shortages, and despite being brought before the Greek Parliament, the community’s demand for a new school building remains unanswered.

Call to Action:
The meeting participants urged the Greek government to:
🔹 Restore the educational autonomy of the Western Thrace Turkish community
🔹 Address the minority education problems through direct dialogue with the Turkish community
🔹 Take immediate steps to resolve the longstanding educational issues

This meeting once again emphasized the ongoing educational discrimination faced by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the need for urgent solutions.