ABTTF meets Vice President of the European Parliament László Tőkés

On 21 December 2011, the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) met Vice President of the European Parliament László Tőkés. The President of ABTTF, Halit Habipoğlu and ABTTF Director General K. Engin Soyyılmaz provided the Vice President of the EP with information on important problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. Have attended the meeting of the Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages, ABTTF described the problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in November 2011, ABTTF discussed the problems of the Turkish Minority, in particular the denial of Turkish identity and the problems in fields of education and religion with László Tőkés.

ABTTF: Greece does not recognize “Turkish” identity of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace

In meeting with Tőkés, ABTTF President, Halit Habipoğlu said that Greece did not recognize the “Turkish” identity of the Minority and the State rather used the term “Muslim minority in Thrace” instead of “Turkish Minority of Western Thrace”. President Habipoğlu noted that minority associations bearing the “Turkish” word in their titles had been either dissolved or not registered. Habipoğlu stated that this problem had not been solved thus far although there were three judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against Greece.

Furthermore, President Habipoğlu told that about 60 thousand Western Thrace Turks, who were citizens of “non-Greek descent”, had been deprived of their citizenship under former Article 19 of the Greek Nationality Code. Habipoğlu said that Greece was refraining from producing a final solution to this problem for Western Thrace Turks who were either stateless or citizens of another country due to deprivation of their Greek citizenship.

President Habipoğlu: Our autonomy in the areas of education and religion are undercut

In meeting with László Tőkés, President Habipoğlu told that Turkish Minority of Western Thrace had the autonomy in the areas of education and religion under the Treaty of Lausanne. He said this autonomy was undercut through various practices in period started with the 1967 Junta regime and had continued in the post-Junta period. Have told that the autonomous structure was not being implemented in a manner that had been described in the treaty, President Habipoğlu said that this situation had caused serious problems in the areas of education and religion. Furthermore, Habipoğlu noted that parents who wanted their children to have quality education had to send their children to public schools due to poor quality and the lack of modern educational instruments in minority schools. With regard to the problems in religious area, Habipoğlu told that Greece did not recognize religious leaders i.e. muftis elected by the minority and appointed muftis instead. Habipoğlu added that this problem had not been solved thus far in spite of many promises given by the State. Furthermore, Habipoğlu also stated that the way which would lead the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace to send independent deputies to the Greek Parliament had been closed due to the 3% election threshold which was applied to independent candidates, too.