The Foreign Ministry has issued a strongly worded response to Ankara over Turkish officials’ references to the Muslim Minority of Thrace, rejecting any attempt to redefine its character and accusing Turkey of interfering in Greece’s internal affairs.
In response to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and remarks by Turkish officials, the Greek Foreign Ministry directly invokes the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, stressing that the legal status is clear and defines the minority as religious.
“Its character cannot be challenged or redefined at will,” it says, stressing that the Muslim Minority of Thrace is made up of Greek citizens and is an integral part of Greek society.
Athens’ response to Turkish criticism of the process for selecting muftis is particularly sharp. The Foreign Ministry points out that Law 4964/2022 established a modern, democratic process involving members of the minority itself, including women, with the aim of ensuring transparency and full respect for religious freedom.
“It is at least hypocritical for Turkey to lecture Greece on religious freedom and respect for human rights, especially when muftis in Turkey itself are appointed by the state,” the Foreign Ministry says, adding that the credibility of such admonitions depends on consistency between words and actions.
Athens also sets a clear limit on Ankara’s interference in Thrace, noting that the free practice of religious belief is a fundamental right, but cannot be selectively invoked or “used as a pretext for interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state”.
The Foreign Ministry concludes that Greece, as a European state governed by the rule of law, protects the rights of all its citizens on the basis of equality before the law and equal citizenship, and with full respect for international law.