Foreign Ministry: Greece does not accept 'lessons' from Turkey on implementing Lausanne Treaty

Greece does not accept "lessons" from Turkey on the implementation of the Lausanne Treaty, international law and the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, Greek foreign ministry spokesperson Alexandros Gennimatas said on Saturday, in response to questions.

The question had referred to a statement made by a Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson regarding the Muslim minority in Thrace.

"The members of the Muslim minority of Thrace, as this is clearly defined by the Lausanne Treaty though Turkey insists on ignoring this, have equal rights in the same way as all other Greek citizens, in the framework of equality before the law and state established by the Constitution," Gennimatas said.

He noted that Greece was steadily making all necessary reforms to further improve the quality of life of the Muslim minority's members, such as recent and specific measures regarding Sharia law for which it was congratulated by the ECHR, and then proceeded with a follow-up improvement of the institutions of the muftis, who also serve in a judicial capacity, in order to ensure correct and effective administration, with guarantees to litigants that file cases with these courts.

"Clearly the reference to the foundation of a new state service is untrue," he added.

The spokesperson concluded by saying that Turkey must cease its interventionist approach and the reproduction of "unacceptable statements" and understand that the above issues are an exclusively domestic affair of Greece, "while the relentless logic of history and numbers shows that the Muslim minority living in Thrace enjoys its rights and freedoms," he said.