Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras stated the following in response to journalists’ questions on statements attributed to Turkish Prime Minister T. Erdogan regarding the status of Muslim preachers in Thrace:
“If the alleged statements of the Turkish Prime Minister to his party’s Parliamentary Group are reported accurately, I would like to note that the issues concerning the Muslim minority in Thrace are handled responsibly by the Greek State, within the framework of equality before the law and the free exercising of the minority’s religious rights. This is reaffirmed by the Hellenic Parliament’s recent decision. The Greek State always conducts itself with respect for International Conventions and human rights. Such statements do anything but help the climate in our bilateral relations.”
January 30, 2013