Azernews.Az

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned Greece's decision to shut down eight more primary schools belonging to the Western Thrace Turkish minority, accusing Athens of systemic discrimination and violating international treaties, AzerNEWS reports.

In an official statement, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli revealed that Greece implemented the closures under the pretext of insufficient student enrollment. The move dramatically reduces the total number of operational Turkish minority primary schools in the region to just 76.

According to Keçeli, the closures are part of a broader, deliberate policy aimed at eroding the educational autonomy of ethnic Turks. The spokesperson also flagged arbitrary administrative hurdles placed on first-grade enrollment at the 1st Turkish Minority Primary School of Xanthi as further evidence of systematic efforts to restrict the community's right to education.

"These oppressive decisions and practices openly violate the provisions of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne," Keçeli stated. "We once again call on Greece—which consistently avoids implementing international court rulings and European institutional recommendations regarding the rights violations of the Western Thrace Turkish minority—to act in accordance with its international obligations concerning minority and fundamental human rights."

The Ministry reaffirmed that Turkey will firmly support the Western Thrace Turkish minority in its legal struggle to protect its cultural identity, heritage, and educational rights against state-enforced reductions.