Stylianidis argues that Türkiye's constant policy is to attempt to instrumentalize the Turkish community of Western Thrace
ABTTF President: "It is obvious that Stylianides' words, which are inconsistent with the facts, do not benefit the positive agenda and dialogue efforts that have gained momentum between the country and our motherland following the recent high-level talks. The facts confirmed by the numbers are that the CFE party became the first party by receiving the most votes in the prefectures of Rodopi and Xanthi in the 2014 and 2019 European elections, in which it participated as the voice of our community. As the Turkish community of Western Thrace, we will vote for KIEF in the 2024 elections for the European Parliament, making our presence stronger in our country and in Europe and voicing our issues loudly."
In an interview with Parapolitika radio, New Democracy (ND) MP for Rodopi, Euripides Stylianides spoke about the participation of the Equality Party of Peace and Friendship (KIEF) in the European Parliament (EP) elections to be held on June 9, 2024.
Stylianides argued that the KIEF's candidacy in the European elections is not something new, but it is something that has new characteristics, and that it is an established policy of Turkey to attempt to instrumentalize the Muslim minority with the aim not to protect the rights and the proper implementation of the Lausanne Treaty but to exploit it for its own foreign policy purposes.
Stylianides claimed that the KIEF is a tool in order to measure the power of influence of the mechanisms over the minority and to make the political game easier to play.
On the issue, the President of the European Federation of West Thrace Turks (ABTTF) Halit Habip Oglu said: "Our regional MP Stylianidis once again expressed his illusions about our community by making unfounded accusations about the KIEF Party, the only political party in our community, in his interview. It is absurd for Stylianides to try to portray the legitimate policy of our motherland, which respects the educational and religious autonomy and rights of our community enshrined in the Lausanne Treaty, as attempts to instrumentalize our community. It is obvious that Mr. Stylianides' words, which are inconsistent with the facts, do not benefit the positive agenda and dialogue efforts that have gained momentum between the country and our motherland following the recent high-level talks. The facts confirmed by the numbers are that the CFE party became the first party by receiving the most votes in the prefectures of Rodopi and Xanthi in the 2014 and 2019 European elections, in which it participated as the voice of our community. As the Turkish community of Western Thrace, we will vote for KIEF in the 2024 elections for the European Parliament, making our presence stronger in our country and in Europe and voicing our issues loudly."
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