Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras made the following statement in reply to a question regarding the use of the term “Turkish minority” in a message attributed to Turkish Prime Minister R. T. Erdogan:
“The Turkish Prime Minister correctly refers to Greek citizens. Citizens who live harmonically integrated into our European democracy, with equal opportunities, equality under the law and full respect for their rights. However, the Turkish Prime Minister also refers to a “Turkish minority” that does not exist in the international treaties he himself invokes. Mutual respect and compliance with contractual texts and are basic components of confidence building.”
September 3, 2012