Problems of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority are talked about at OSCE 2024 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.
The OSCE Human Dimension Conference was held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, between September 30 and October 11, 2024. At the conference, the Western Thrace Turkish Minority was represented by the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) and the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF). Human Rights Experts Pervin Chairoullach and Kerem Ampntourachimoglou attended the conference on behalf of WTMUGA, and K. Engin Soyyilmaz on behalf of ABTTF. Speaking at the 7th session of the conference titled Fundamental Rights II: National Human Rights Institutions – Freedom of Assembly and Association – Freedom of Religion and Belief, WTMUGA drew attention to the problems experienced by Western Thrace Turks in the area of freedom of association and religious freedom. It was stated that Greece appointed Muftis in violation of international agreements and did not show respect to religious leaders elected by the Turks of Western Thrace. WTMUGA, referring to the decision to close the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Sports and Culture Association in May, stated that both the terms Western Thrace and Turkish Minority were expressed and recognized by many Greek statesmen in the past. WTMUGA stated that in recent years, Greece has violated the right of Western Thrace Turks to freedom of association for political reasons. WTMUGA took the floor again at the 8th session of the conference titled Tolerance and Non-Discrimination I: Fighting against racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance. Recalling that tens of thousands of Western Thrace Turks were left without an identity and state due to the racist Article 19 of the Greek citizenship law that was in force until 1998, WTMUGA said that this was part of a systematic policy aimed at melting the Turkish population in the region and that this policy continues today with different methods. They emphasized that today, Western Thrace Turks are subject to many socio-economic discriminations and that many EU funds are not accessible to Turks due to the economic and legal consequences of past discriminations. WTMUGA stated that the development difference between Turkish and Greek settlements in Western Thrace can be observed with the naked eye. Taking the floor again at the 9th session of the conference titled Tolerance and Non-Discrimination II: Rights of National Minorities, Roma and Sinti issues, WTMUGA brought up the problems of the Western Thrace Turkish minority in the field of education. In the speech, it was stated that Greece has undermined the autonomous structure of minority education with unilateral laws enacted in violation of international agreements and that the most recent example of this is the appointment of principals to Minority High Schools without consulting the Turkish minority representatives. It was also stated that Greece did not allow minority institutions to open private kindergartens, and that the process that was brought to court on this issue was also progressing slowly. The Greek delegation claimed in its statement that according to the Treaty of Lausanne, the minority in Western Thrace was a Muslim Minority, and that they benefited from all civil rights and all the rights granted to the minority by the Treaty of Lausanne as equal Greek citizens.
