The Greek Foreign Ministry blames Turkey of distorting the reality with baseless accusations and fake news, responding to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding educational issues of the Muslim minority in Greece.

Specifically, it notes that the numbers speak for themselves, as the Muslim minority in Thrace has about 120,000 members while the Greek minority in Turkey has shrunk to just 3,000. At the time of the Lausanne Treaty the two were equal in numbers. For the academic year 2021-2022, more than 100 minority primary schools will operate in Thrace, while in Constantinople only 3.

Turkey distorts reality with unfounded accusations and fake news.

The Greek side rejects these accusations.

Greece, unlike Turkey, continues to fully implement the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne.

The numbers speak for themselves.

The Muslim minority in Thrace numbers approximately 120,000 members. The Greek minority in Turkey has shrunk to just 3,000 members; while the two minorities were equal in number at the time the Treaty of Lausanne was signed.

For the academic year 2021-2022, more than 100 minority primary schools will operate in Thrace while only three will operate in Istanbul.

With regards to what is stated in the relevant press release of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is noted that, as is known, the criterion for suspending the operation of schools in Greece is the non-completion of a minimum number of nine students. In addition to the 12 minority schools, another 24 public primary schools were suspended in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace alone; a fact that highlights equal and not discriminatory treatment of minority students in Greece.

Moreover, the recent legislation of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs concerned public schools, while specific legislation regarding minority schools was introduced with a view to ensuring the respect of the Treaty of Lausanne and, of course, taking into account the specific nature of these schools. This legislation does not introduce any discrimination against minority schools but instead fulfills Greece’s obligation to maintain their special status.

The Hellenic Republic, a state governed by the rule of law, fully protects and guarantees the human rights and freedoms of all its citizens.

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