Greek opposition MP points out European Court's decision on rights of minority in Western Thrace

By Ayhan Mehmet

Gumulcine, Greece (AA) - A senior Greek lawmaker and former foreign minister with the main opposition SYRIZA-PS party said Wednesday that the minority population in Western Thrace can define themselves as Turkish.

Georgios Katrougalos noted that the existence of such a right has been proven many times by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Katrougalos, who spoke at an event on Siros (Syros) island, cited the ECHR rule regarding Greece’s decision to remove the signboard of the Turkish Union of Xanthi, the oldest non-governmental organization of the Turkish Muslim Minority in Western Thrace, in 1983 due to "Turkish" being in its name.

Under the 2008 ECHR ruling, the right of Turks in Western Thrace to use "Turkish" in the names of associations was guaranteed but Athens has failed to carry out the ruling, effectively banning the Turkish group’s identity.

The Western Thrace region, near the northeastern border with Türkiye, is home to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering 150,000.

The rights of the Turks are guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne but during the decades since the situation has seriously deteriorated, including Greece refusing to carry out rulings by the ECHR.​​​​​​​

Associations having "Turkish" in their names are still banned in Western Thrace, although the ECHR ruled against Greece in 2008.