Turkish minority in Western Thrace is a priority for Ankara, Turkish president says

The problems of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace are a priority for Turkey in its dialogue with Greece. Ankara will continue to take care of 'its compatriots' there, as well as of the 'usurped rights' of the Turkish Cypriots, stated Turkish President Recep Erdogan, as quoted by the Bulgarian news agency BTA.

The problems of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace are a priority for Turkey in its dialogue with Greece. Ankara will continue to take care of “its compatriots” there, as well as of the “usurped rights” of the Turkish Cypriots, stated Turkish President Recep Erdogan, as quoted by the Bulgarian news agency BTA.

 He stated that Ankara was using the “developing dialogue” with Greece in the context of “protecting the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace”. 

There is a considerable minority, established a long time ago, living in the Greek region of Western Thrace (in the Northeastern part of the country, close to the Turkish border) which Turkey defines as Turkish, and Greece - as Muslim, according to the Lausanne Peace Treaty, in which minorities are defined not in terms of ethnicity but of religion. 

Civil rights and the right to an education of this minority are often cause for criticism of Greece by Turkey, whereas Greece firmly denies there are any violations of the rights of the Muslims and reacts sharply when they are described as Turks.