Turks of Western Thrace

Mustafa Trampa has been elected as the new religious leader, mufti, of Xanthi by the Turks of the Western Thrace region on Sept. 9, amid the ongoing pressure on the Greek government for over 30 years.

Greece must put an end to its interventionist practices and policies of pressure against Muslim religious leaders elected by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, Turkey's foreign minister said on Sept. 4.

class='cf'>

Now the Muslim minority in Thrace numbers approximately 120,000 members while the Greek minority in Turkey has shrunk to only 3,000

Turkey condemned the decision of Greece for closing 12 more primary schools belonging to the Western Thrace Turkish minority, "using austerity measures and the insufficient number of students as an excuse."

class='cf'>

Turkey on June 17 condemned a Greek court's decision to sentence the elected mufti, or Muslim official, of the city of Xanthi to time in prison with a three-year deferment of the sentence.  

A criminal court in the city of Thessaloniki sentenced Ahmet Mete to 15 months in prison for "disrupting public order by sowing public discord."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 17 condemned the latest move by Greece on appointing the chief mufti and Athens' treatment of Turkish descendants in Western Thrace.

Turkey reaffirmed its support on Jan. 29 for the legitimate struggle of the Turkish minority community in Western Thrace in Greece. 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry posted a message of support on Twitter with reference to the January 29 Western Thrace National Resistance and Solidarity Day.

Turkey slammed a "racist threat message" on Nov. 28 in northeastern Greece written on an elevator of an apartment building that is the residence of Mufti Ahmet Mete of Xanthi.

Top Turkish officials on Feb. 18 slammed Greece's president for mislabeling the Muslim Turkish minority in a region of Greece bordering Turkey as a "Greek Muslim minority".

Turkey on June 21 decried a decision by Greece that local religious leaders, known as muftis, among the Turkish minority living in the Western Thrace would henceforth be appointed by the state instead of being elected by the local people.