Türkiye's Ambassador to Athens Erciyes visited Western Thrace
Erciyes, who made his first visit outside of Athens to Western Thrace, as is the tradition among Turkish ambassadors appointed to Greece, made various contacts here.
Ambassador Erciyes came to the region from Athens on Thursday, April 20, and firstly, visited the late Dr. Sadik Ahmet's grave.
Erciyes, who visited Eastern Macedonia and Thrace State President Christos Metios in his office and thanked Greece for the solidarity and assistance, provided by Greece from the first moment of the earthquake disaster in Türkiye. He conveyed his condolences to Metios for the loss of lives due to the train accident that occurred in Tembi on February 28.
Erciyes, who met with the Chairman of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board and the Mufti of Komotini, İbrahim Şerif, the Mufti of Xanthi Mustafa Trampa and the members of the Advisory Board at the Komotini Turkish Youth Union, attended the fast-breaking dinner given by the Advisory Board.
Ambassador Erciyes celebrated with his fellow citizens at the feast ceremony held at the Consulate General of Komotini, after the feast prayer at the Old Mosque of Komotini on Friday, April 21.
Ambassador Erciyes then moved to Xanthi. Çağatay Erciyes and his entourage first visited the Mufti of Xanthi and met with Mustafa Trampa, Mufti of Xanthi. Ambassador Erciyes, who received information from Mufti Trampa about the work of the mufti officce, then moved to Xanthi Asagimahalle Cinar Mosque for Friday prayers. Erciyes there met with fellow citizens at the entrance of the mosque.
Türkiye's Ambassador to Athens, Çağatay Erciyes, visited the Xanthi Turkish Union (ITB). The Turkish Union is struggling for decade for the denial of the ethnic identity of the minority.
Erciyes was welcomed by the president and the management board of the association at the entrance of the ITB. In his speech, Ozan Ahmetoğlu, President of Xanthi Turkish Union, talked about the work of ITB and the struggle for rights of Xanthi Turkish Union for the last 40 years.
Ambassador Erciyes said that they closely follow the struggle of the ITB and that they always support this struggle as a country.
Erciyes, in a statement to the AA correspondent, reminded that the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mustafa Şentop visited the region last week and stated that Türkiye always stands by its compatriots in Western Thrace.
Emphasizing that Türkiye will always continue to support the Western Thrace Turkish Minority's rightful struggle for the protection of their rights stemming from international law, Erciyes noted that after the earthquake disaster in Türkiye, there was a softening and a positive climate in Turkish-Greek relations.
Erciyes expressed his hope that this process will allow the solution of all problems between the two countries and that he hopes that the issues faced by the Western Thrace Turkish Minority will also be resolved within this framework.
Erciyes, who visited Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region President Christos Metios in his office and thanked Greece for the solidarity and assistance that Greece showed from the first moment of the earthquake disaster in Turkey, said that he lost his life due to the train accident that occurred in Tembi on February 28. He conveyed his condolences to Metios for the lost.
Ambassador Erciyes was accompanied by Türkiye's Consul General to Komotini, Aykut Unal, throughout his visiting program in Western Thrace.