Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras stated the following in response to a journalist’s question regarding a Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) conference in Komotini:
“First of all, the unhindered and smooth holding of the conference in question is indisputable proof that in Greece there is complete freedom of expression and that the rights of all Greek citizens to assemble and associate freely are fully respected, regardless of religious identity, as provided for by the Hellenic Constitution.
With regard to the agenda for the conference and the accusations allegedly expressed in the resolution up for adoption, I have this to say:
The Greek state respects the human rights and the individual and collective freedoms of all citizens without exception, ensuring for the members of the minority a status of full equality before the law. Greece faithfully implements the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne and international law more generally, respecting the religious convictions and cultural origins of the three components of the Muslim minority of Western Thrace.
In contrast with the members of the Greek Orthodox minority of Istanbul, Imbros and Tenedos, who were forced under painful conditions to abandon their hearths, the Muslim minority of Western Thrace not only prospers, but is also represented by three MPs in the Hellenic Parliament, an opportunity denied many FUEN members.
In recent years, Greece has introduced a number of modern pieces of legislation that are aimed at improving the education of the members of the Muslim minority. It is the will of the new Greek government to accelerate and strengthen legislative initiatives aimed at better integration of the minority.
The religious freedoms of the Muslim minority are fully respected. Simply consider that Thrace is the only region in the European Union where Islamic Sacred Law, too, is in force. The implementation of Sharia is also the reason why the Greek state participates in the process of choosing the Muftis of Thrace, as they, beyond their religious duties, also have judicial powers; a process that, moreover, is also followed in most Muslim countries.
Finally, with regard to the protection of Ottoman heritage, an issue included in the agenda of the conference, I note that, even under current very difficult economic conditions, Greece continues, as in the past, to fund the promotion and protection of Muslim and Ottoman monuments, not just in Thrace, but throughout Greece.
We hope that the FUEN members ensure the equal representation of the three components of the Muslim minority, both at the conference and in their organization, and that this factor be borne in mind from now on by friendly countries that are in such a hurry to fund such activities.”
May 13, 2015