Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry urged Greece Saturday to recognize muftis chosen by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, in a dispute over religious leadership and the meaning of the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty.
The ministry said Greece’s appointments in Komotini and Xanthi disregard rights protected by Lausanne and other international agreements. Ankara called for the leaders selected by the minority to be recognized and described the mufti’s office as important to the community’s shared life beyond worship.
Greece offered a different reading in a Foreign Ministry statement on April 9. Athens argued that Lausanne provides no basis for electing muftis, whose roles also include judicial and administrative responsibilities. It said Law 4964/2022 provides for establishing a committee of minority members, including women, to assess candidates and nominate those it considers most suitable.
The April statement said calls for applications for the Komotini and Xanthi posts had been published. It also reported that the appointment of a new mufti in Didymoteicho had been completed. The statement does not establish whether applications for Komotini and Xanthi remained open on Oct. 24.
The governments also use different terms for the community. Türkiye calls it the Turkish minority of Western Thrace; Greece refers to the Muslim minority of Thrace and says Lausanne defines it as a religious minority. Their statements identify the selection of religious leaders and competing interpretations of the treaty as the core of the dispute. Neither statement gave a date for a further decision.
