Türkiye on Friday condemned an attack on a primary school belonging to the Turkish minority in Greece’s Western Thrace region, calling on Greek authorities to swiftly identify those responsible and take necessary measures.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said unidentified individuals vandalized a Turkish minority elementary school in the village of Karacaoğlan (Aratos), which had been closed by Greek authorities after the 2021-2022 academic year.
In a statement shared on social media, Keçeli said Türkiye strongly condemns the attack regardless of who carried it out and expects Greek officials to fully investigate the incident and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
He added that Türkiye shares the grief of ethnic Turks living in the area and reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to defending the rights and interests of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, which are protected under international agreements.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board also condemned the attack, recalling that a similar incident had occurred in the past and warning that repeated acts targeting minority institutions further undermine the sense of security among the community.
The attack on the Turkish Minority Primary School in the village of Karacaoğlan, in Greece’s Rodopi region, came to light on Jan. 4 after local residents noticed the damage. Following the discovery, police launched an on-site investigation at the school building.
Greek authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Over the recent years, the Turkish minority community has accused Greece of the systemic violation of their educational rights, which is guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, as the government maintains its policy of shutting down minority schools every year under the pretext that the number of students falls.
Some 150,000 Muslim Turks in Western Thrace, economically one of the poorest in Greece, have long complained about deteriorating conditions. Seeing the community as a “hostage” of its ties with Türkiye, the Greek government has committed numerous breaches of its treaty obligations and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings over the years, including the closure of schools and the banning of Turkish-language education.
