Turkish FM criticizes Athens of violating rights of Turkish minority

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met on Thursday with members of the Advisory Board of Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in Ankara.

Cavusoglu said on Twitter after the meeting:

"Greece persistently continues to violate the Lausanne Treaty and basic human rights of Turkish minority. Our brothers in Western Thrace were never and shall never be alone!"

Cavusoglu also posted a list of "discriminatory practices of Greece against Turkish minority," including banning the use of words "Turk/Turkish" in names of schools and foundations, preventing the Turkish community from electing their religious representatives, expropriating properties of minority foundations, and closing dozens of minority primary schools in the past 15 years while not permitting new schools to be opened.

Estimates by Greek authorities suggest that of around 100,000 members of the Muslim minority, about 50% consists of Turks, 35% of Pomaks and 15% of Roma.

Turkish authorities put the population of Turkish minority at around 150,000.