Prime Minister Mitsotakis receives the students of Ketenlik Minority Primary School
The students of Ketenlik Minority Primary School met with Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsosakis as part of a cultural trip to Athens.
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's press office, Prime Minister Mitsotakis received the primary school students from Ketenlik and the teachers accompanying them at the Prime Minister's Office in Maksimou. Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport Kyriakos Pierrakakis was also present at the reception.
Students from Linenlik chatted for a while with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Education Minister Pierrakakis.
The students demanded a physical education hall and an indoor sports hall where they could do sports in the winter months.
The Provincial Director of Education of the First Grade Schools of Xanthi, Stilyanidu, who has caused reactions with her arbitrary practices towards the (Turkish) Minority Schools, and the school teachers also took part in the meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis said that both the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Education are ready to do everything for students to study under better conditions.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis expressed his satisfaction for the visit and gave gifts to the students. Students from Ketenlik invited Prime Minister Mitsotakis to Ketenlik.
AMNA used the headline "Greek Muslims"
On the other hand, it was noteworthy that the Greek State News Agency AMNA, in its English version, "baptised" the students from the Turkish Minority from Ketenlik as "Greek Muslims" in the news published on the Athens visit of the students from Ketenlik.
On Tuesday, 20 December, AMNA reported the news in its English version with the title "PM Mitsotakis welcomes students from Greek Muslim minority primary school".
Prime Minister Mitsotakis was strongly condemned by the elected representatives of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace for addressing the children of the Turkish Minority in the Municipality of Mustafçova as "Pomak" and "Greek" in an online conversation during the Covid period.
"Do you want to cover up the facts?"
In Western Thrace, the official status determined by the Treaty of Lausanne for the Turkish Minority Schools has been systematically eroded by the state authorities and especially in the recent period the reaction of the Turkish Minority has gone beyond the borders of the country. Turkish Minority students, together with their parents, are organising protests on the roads to publicise the inadequacies and injustices in the schools. The closure of Turkish Minority schools with arbitrary decisions in violation of the Treaty of Lausanne and the lack of school buildings and many serious deficiencies, especially the lack of school buildings, are the products of the administration itself.
While this is the truth, the fact that these problems were not addressed during the visit in question caused question marks in the public opinion. In the Turkish Minority public opinion, the question "Are the accumulated problems of the Turkish Minority Education intended to be covered up by using Ketenlik school?" came to the agenda.
