Turkish minority leader urges Athens to end policy of denial, uphold EU court judgments

The head of a federation representing the Turkish minority in Greece’s Western Thrace has urged Athens to end its denial of the community’s ethnic identity and engage in direct, good-faith dialogue, accusing the government of ignoring European court rulings and distorting history.

In a statement released on April 14, Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), criticised the Greek state for its continued refusal to implement a 2008 European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling concerning the registration and naming rights of minority associations, including the long-disputed Xanthi Turkish Union (ITB), Caliber.Az reports.

“Our country claims that our community, as Greek citizens, enjoys full equality and equal rights. Yet it has persistently failed to enforce ECHR rulings for 17 years, violating our freedom of association,” Habip Oğlu said.

The remarks followed a social media message from Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 14 April, marking the 98th anniversary of the founding of the ITB. The ministry reiterated its support for the organisation’s right to use its historical name in line with the ECHR decision and commended its “just and honourable struggle.”

In response, Greece’s Foreign Ministry issued a written statement asserting that the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne defines the minority in Western Thrace as religious rather than ethnic. It maintained that the Greek state respects the religious and cultural identity of the Muslim minority and guarantees full equality before the law.

Habip Oğlu, however, rejected the government’s interpretation of the treaty. “Our country continues to twist the facts by interpreting the Lausanne Treaty to suit its narrative, while systematically avoiding any direct dialogue with our community,” he said.

He drew parallels between the recognition of Greek identity among Christian communities in Türkiye and the denial of Turkish identity in Western Thrace. “Just as the Christians in Istanbul, Gökçeada and Bozcaada are of Greek origin, we – who have lived in Western Thrace for centuries – are ethnically Turkish,” he asserted.

Habip Oğlu also criticised the Greek authorities for being unsettled by Türkiye’s recognition of the ITB’s anniversary, despite having allowed a special Greek primary school to be opened in Gökçeada in 2013 for only three students.

The ITB was founded in 1927 but was dissolved by Greek courts in the 1980s due to its use of the word “Turkish” in its name. Although the ECHR ruled in favour of the ITB in 2008, ordering the Greek state to allow it to operate under its original name, the decision has not been implemented.

Habip Oğlu urged Athens to “urgently abandon policies that deny our ethnic Turkish identity and distort the truth about our community,” and to “establish a sincere and direct dialogue with us to resolve our long-standing issues.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev