Turkish minorities in Greece partake in European Parliament elections

The president of the Party of Friendship, Equality, and Peace (DEB Party) in Greece, Cigdem Asafoglu, has announced that the party will participate in the upcoming European Parliament elections on June 9. This continues their efforts from the 2014 and 2019 elections to represent the voice of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace.

Asafoglu stated that the primary reason for the DEB Party’s participation in the elections is the lack of attention given by Greek political parties to the issues of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace.

How can they find solutions to the problems of a society whose identity is denied?

Cigdem Asafoglu, President of DEB

She emphasized that the absence of these issues from the agendas of Greek parties results in the inability to generate effective solutions. Asafoglu stressed that they participate in the elections to represent the voice of the Turkish minority and draw attention to long-standing unresolved issues.

‘The minority in Western Thrace is Turkish’

Highlighting the DEB Party’s success in ranking first in the Rodopi and Xanthi regions in the 2014 and 2019 elections, Asafoglu emphasized that this success reflects the trust in the party’s ability to protect the identity and rights of the minority. She reiterated their strong message, “The minority in Western Thrace is Turkish.”

Addressing problems in health care services, Asafoglu stated that issues intensified with New Democracy’s coming to power. Combined with language barriers, this has made access to health care even more challenging for minority members. “Many Turkish doctors, nurses, and health workers in the region receive warnings for speaking Turkish in public hospitals,” she highlighted.

Referring to the positive agenda between Türkiye and Greece, Asafoglu expressed hope for positive implications for Western Thrace. However, she lamented that beneficial relations between Türkiye and Greece do not reflect in Western Thrace. She emphasized that Greece does not treat the Turkish minority differently, even when relations between Türkiye and Greece are good.

DEB aims to raise awareness

European Parliament candidate Huseyin Baltaci highlighted the foundation of the DEB Party by Dr. Sadik Ahmet, who emerged as a leader for Western Thrace Turks in the early 1990s. He stressed that Dr. Ahmet’s struggle for minority rights shapes the spirit of the party.

Our party, the party of our childhood, the party that spread our fighting spirit.

EP Candidate from DEB, Hüseyin Baltaci

Baltaci stated that the party aims to raise awareness of the chronic problems of the Western Thrace Turks both in Europe and in the capital Athens. He emphasized that the DEB Party is present wherever there is oppression or rights violations.

DEB candidate criticizes Greece

Another European Parliament candidate Nilay Mumin highlighted the challenges faced by minority students. She argued that problems in minority schools go deeper than just poor buildings. The quality of education itself needs urgent improvement, according to Mumin. She advocated for strengthening these schools instead of shutting them down.

Referring to the lack of bilingual kindergartens for minorities, Mumin said that this deficiency plays a negative role in the development of language skills of children.

Mumin criticized the Greek state for not making the necessary efforts to solve these problems and called for concrete steps to ensure equality and quality in minority education.

Crucial to preserve cultural heritage

Another European Parliament candidate from DEB, Seher Ahmet, championed the protection of minority rights and Turkish cultural identity. She argued that safeguarding these elements goes beyond just a human rights issue. It’s also crucial to preserve cultural and historical heritage, according to Ahmet.

The Turkish identity is a value beyond being a minority, and it is our responsibility to preserve this value.

Seher Ahmet, EP Candidate from DEB

A resident in Western Thrace Idris Arifoglu highlighted the problems faced by Turks living in their village and Western Thrace in general. Arifoglu expressed discomfort over the denial of their Turkish identity.

Our Turkishness is denied. They say we are Muslims. We are both Muslim and Turkish.

Idris Arifoglu, a resident in Western Thrace