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Türkiye urges Greece to recognize muftis elected by Turkish minority

The Foreign Ministry said Greece was disregarding the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace by appointing so-called muftis in Komotini and Xanthi.

HPA News Desk İstanbul time

Attributed
The minaret and dome of the Yeni Mosque rise beside a tall Ottoman-era clock tower in Komotini, Greece, at dusk under a cloudy sky.
The Yeni Mosque and the Ottoman-era clock tower in Komotini, Greece. File photo. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Ggia (CC BY-SA 3.0)CC BY-SA 3.0

Türkiye called on Greek authorities on Oct. 24, 2026, to recognize the muftis elected by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace and to end their attempts to impose appointed muftis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Greece “continues to disregard the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, guaranteed under the Lausanne Peace Treaty and international agreements, by appointing so-called muftis in Komotini and Xanthi,” the ministry said in a statement.

The institution of the mufti is an integral part of the religious, social and cultural identity of the minority, according to the statement. By refusing to recognize the muftis elected by what the ministry called an official minority in the country, Greece is ignoring the minority’s will and religious freedom, “thereby once again revealing its distorted perspective on fundamental human rights,” the ministry said.