Separatist action by Prime Ministry
The students of 6 Turkish Minority Primary Schools operating in the Turkish villages of the Rhodope province, who visited Prime Minister Mitsotakis, were again stamped with the "(Greek) Pomak".
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis knows no bounds in his separatist policy towards the Western Thrace Turkish Minority.
Despite the reactions, Mitsotakis, the Minister of National Education Niki Kerameos and other members of the government, who ignore the identity of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, continue to vigorously implement the policy of "rejecting Turkish identity, imposing Greek/Pomak identity", this is a state policy.
Turkish students of 6 Turkish Minority Primary Schools operating in the Turkish villages of the Rhodope province in the Western Thrace region, accompanied by their Turkish and Greek teachers (24 November Thursday), visited the capital Athens.
As part of the school trip to Athens, Turkish students were interviewed by Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis as part of the program.
During the meeting held at the PM’s Office, Prime Minister Mitsotakis received Turkish and Greek teachers along with Turkish Minority students.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis met with Turkish Minority students and teachers and spoke about the functioning of schools. In addition, he listened to the demands of the teachers about the performance of the students and the needs of the schools and received detailed information.
In the press release issued by the Prime Ministry regarding his meeting with students from 6 Turkish minority primary schools in the Rhodope province, the policy of dividing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace into ethnic segments once again showed itself.
It was noteworthy that the Prime Ministry's press release referred to the students in the villages of the Rhodope province as "Pomak children". While talking about the education curriculum in Turkish Minority schools, it was interesting that it was defined as "Greek curriculum" and "Minority curriculum" and not "Turkish curriculum".
The following statements were used in the press release, in which it was announced that Prime Minister Mitsotakis had met with students from the Hacıören, Üntüren, Gerdeme, Mehrikoz, Hemetli and Bulatköy (Turkish) Minority primary schools in the Rhodope province:
"POMAK STUDENTS OF THE MUSLIM MINORITY"
“The above minority schools have two staff members. One teacher is responsible for the 'Greek curriculum' (PE70) and the other for the 'Minority curriculum' (PE73). These students; except for Bulatköy (Asomatos), where Christians and Muslims are mixed, who are members of the Muslim minority in Thrace, are the Pomak students.”
THE SOLE "EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW"
In the statement made by the Prime Ministry, it was noted that during the visit, an educator from the Rhodope province said that the former prime minister Konstandinos Mitsotakis, father of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had not forgotten the phrase "equality before the law" in front of Hemetli district, and Prime Minister Mitsotakis said that he was also there during that visit.
Arguing that his father initiated the practice of equality before the law and that he has good relations with the minority, Mitsotakis noted that important developments have taken place since then.
In the press release issued by the Prime Ministry, it was also stated that Kiriakos Mitsotakis said that they attach special importance to education and that minority schools should be able to provide quality education in both languages.
In the statement, it was stated that 5th and 6th grade students and 9 teachers from 6 minority primary schools attended the visit. It was noted that the Minister of Education Niki Kerameos was also present at the meeting.
"MINORITY CURRICULUM" INSTEAD OF "TURKISH CURRICULUM"
In the press release published by the Prime Minister's Office regarding the meeting, it was noteworthy that the policy of "dividing the Turkish minority into ethnic parts", implemented by the state in Western Thrace, was also mentioned while mentioning the students in the minority primary schools in the Rhodope province. In the statement, which was referred to as "pomak" students, it was observed that there was a distinction between Turkish minority villages.
The use of the concept of "Minority curriculum" instead of "Turkish curriculum" in the statement also raised questions.
MITSOTAKIS IS NOT THE FIRST TO IMPLEMENT THE "GREEK/POMAK" IDENTITY
As it will be remembered, during the pandemic period, Prime Minister Kiriakos Mitsotakis met with the Turkish minority children studying in the kindergarten in Paşevik village of Xanthi by teleconference method attended by the Mayor of Mustafçova (Miki) Municipality Rıdvan Delihüseyin. It should be remembered that, at that meeting “Greek children” expressions were used.
TURKISH MINORITY AGAINST THE "GREEK/POMAK" DEFINITION
The statement of Prime Minister Mitsotakis, which ignores the Turkish Minority, caused a strong reaction from all the main opposition council members and all the organizations of the Turkish Minority, especially after the harsh statement of Murat Köse, the opposition councilor of Mustafaçova (Miki) Municipality. After the Turkish Minority Associations and the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board, which harshly condemned the ugly attack on the identity of the Turkish Minority with their statements, the statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, which is the guarantor of the Turkish Minority according to the Treaty of Lausanne, also condemned the discourse and practices of Greece that ignore the Turkish Minority identity.
