Minorities in Greece

Turkey reaffirmed its support on Jan. 29 for the legitimate struggle of the Turkish minority community in Western Thrace in Greece. 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry posted a message of support on Twitter with reference to the January 29 Western Thrace National Resistance and Solidarity Day.

The Turkish minority in Greece is pushing for the inclusion of Turkish lessons in the curriculums of state kindergartens in regions where many Turkish Muslims live, they said in a joint statement on May 7.

As the Greek Education Ministry plans to start English-language activities in kindergartens next year, the Turkish minority asked the government to also offer Turkish lessons.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement expressing objections to a recent Greek presidential decree stating that the religious leaders of the Muslim minority in northern Greece will be appointed by the state instead of being elected.

Following a controversial decision, Athens is likely to take steps to preserve the balance between Turkish and Greek language lessons in the curriculum of Muslim religious schools in Western Thrace, according to an expert on minority affairs in Greece.

The issue of the Greek Muslim minority in Western Thrace has become an almost permanent fixture on the agenda, most recently as a result of comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Greece in early December.