Turkey, after the disputes in the Aegean with NOTAM and NAVTEX, are trying to bring back the issue of the "Turkish", as they call it, minority in Greek Thrace.
In this effort, they enlisted once again the website of the state broadcaster TRT, which broadcast the following:
"The Turks of Western Thrace in Greece are asking to open kindergartens that will provide bilingual education in Turkish and Greek.
The Union of Turkish Teachers of Western Thrace posted a message on social media on the occasion of World Mother Language Day on February 21.
The post drew attention to the problems faced by the Turkish minority in the field of education.
The importance of opening kindergartens that will provide bilingual education in Turkish and Greek was emphasized and it was pointed out that the mother tongue, in addition to communication, also has the status of a carrier of culture.
"To cut off a man from his mother tongue is not only to cut off his ties with his family and nation, but also to cut off his ties with the world. Peoples who lose their language are impossible to survive as a nation. The man who separates himself from his mother tongue also separates himself from many national values".
The post called for the opening of daycare centers in Western Thrace that would provide bilingual education and noted that forcing Turkish children to receive education only in Greek in daycare centers is "an anachronistic and imperative approach."
In the announcement published by the European Turkish Federation of Western Thrace (ABTTF),
"Education of the individual in his mother tongue is one of the most fundamental human rights."
Because as long as Turkey's revisionist policy towards Greece does not change, it is not expected to change, and Athens' firm stance is worth reminding of its firm position which, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, states, among other things, the following: "Turkey continues to bind its obligations , regarding the respect of human rights and religious freedom of its citizens, with the Muslim minority in Thrace.
The Greek State, in addition to full and practical compliance with the more specific provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne and international law in general, respects the religious beliefs and cultural particularities of the three components of the Muslim minority in Thrace and reserves to Greek citizens, members of the minority, complete equality and equality. Listening to the wishes of the Greek Muslims, who live in Thrace, and consulting with them, it plans and implements a consistent and coherent policy for the best possible response to their needs in all areas.
Turkish attempts to usurp the identity of the minority and flatten the special characteristics of each component are against international law and result in a violation of the rights of the members of the minority. The best and loudest response to these attempts is given by the minority itself, with its active and fruitful contribution to the political, economic and social development of the country".
