Rhodes, Kos, Dodecanese, and Western Thrace Turks make call to Greece
In the joint press statement signed by Hasan Küçük, President of the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association and Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kaymakçı, President of the Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association, it was stated that "We call on Greece to recognise the rights of the Turks living in the country to protect and develop their cultural rights."
In the joint press statement of the presidents of the two associations, the following statements were made
"Articles 37-44 of Chapter III of Part I of the Treaty of Lausanne, entitled "Political Provisions", on the "Protection of Minorities" include provisions determining the status of non-Muslim minorities in Türkiye. Article 45 of the Treaty, which follows these articles, states: "The rights recognised by the provisions of this Chapter for the non-Muslim minorities of Türkiye are also recognised by Greece for the Muslim minority in its territory."
Turks live predominantly in Western Thrace and in two parts of Rhodes and Kos.
Greece has frequently violated the rights of Western Thrace Turks given in the Treaty of Lausanne in the fields of religion, education, social and economic and has tried to keep Western Thrace Turks under pressure.
The main aim of Greece's policy towards the Western Thrace Turks has been to force the Turks in the region to migrate. In the meantime, Turkey's granting of free passage visas to migrants led to the emptying of many villages in Western Thrace. Another policy of Greece on the Western Thrace Turks was to "make them forget their Turkishness".
In Rhodes and Kos Turks; their Turkish identity is not accepted and they are forbidden to organise with their cultural identity, Turkish children do not have the right to learn Turkish at least at the primary education level on the basis of bilingualism, there are obstacles for Muslim education, the cultural monuments left by the Ottoman Turks are being destroyed rudely by leaving them to the ravages of time, the members of the Foundation Properties Management Authority are elected in a Greek-guided manner and there is an atmosphere of hatred and oppression that emerges from time to time.
Greece has obligations arising from the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations and the Greek Constitution to protect and promote the cultural rights of all descendants living in Greece other than the Greek descendants.
We call on Greece to recognise the right to protect and promote the cultural rights of Turks living in Greece.
These rights are the inherent rights of human beings."
