The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, reiterated today his unfounded positions on the “Turkish minority” in Western Thrace during his speech to the parliamentary group of the AKP, on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of Ahmet Sadık, the founder of the Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace.
“We owe a large part of what the “Turkish minority” in Western Thrace has achieved to Sadık. In our meetings with the Greek authorities, the issues concerning our compatriots in Western Thrace are at the top of our agenda. We are monitoring issues related to religion, worship ceremonies, and education. We will continue to protect the “Turkish minority” in Western Thrace, and the same applies to the Turkish Cypriots who have been victims of injustice and discrimination for nearly three-quarters of a century since the 1960s,” said the Turkish President initially.
Continuing on the Cyprus issue, he said, “We cannot forget the burned villages, the murdered children, the tragedies of our Turkish Cypriot brothers. While these atrocities were happening, the West did nothing. With the “peace operation” (this is how Turkey refers to the invasion of Cyprus), Turkey thwarted those who were coveting the independence of the Turkish Cypriots.”
“Unfortunately, no solution emerged from the negotiations. We and the Turkish Cypriots have made our position clear and declared that we will remain committed to the struggle for the independence of the TRNC,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also recalled today the sad anniversary of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque on July 24, 2020, “congratulating” for the event:
İstanbul’un Fethi’nin sembolü olan Ayasofya-i Kebîr Cami-i Şerîfimizin Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han’ın vakfiyesine uygun şekilde yeniden ibadete açılış yıl dönümünü tebrik ediyorum.
Allah’a hamdolsun, Ayasofya’nın dirilişi tekrar hayırlı olsun. pic.twitter.com/Bv7og7Fcwg
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 24, 2024
Source: protothema.gr
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
