Ankara slams Greece's closure of 8 minority schools in W. Thrace

Ankara has strongly condemned Greece’s decision to shut down eight primary schools serving the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, accusing Athens of violating international agreements and undermining the educational rights of the community. The closures, effective for the 2026–2027 academic year, have drawn sharp criticism from both the Turkish Foreign Ministry and high-ranking officials, including Hakan Çavuşoğlu, a former deputy prime minister and member of the Presidential Council for Legal Policies, who is himself of Western Thrace Turkish descent. According to Turkish officials, the Greek government cited insufficient student enrollment as the rationale for closing the schools, which has reduced the total number of Turkish minority primary schools in the region to 76. This marks a continued erosion of minority educational infrastructure, with critics arguing that such measures are designed to marginalize the Turkish-speaking community. Çavuşoğlu, who once attended one of the affected schools, expressed deep personal disappointment over the decision, stating that it reflects a broader pattern of systemic restrictions on minority education. “The closure of these schools does not simply mean locking the doors of school buildings,” Çavuşoğlu stated. “It represents a serious intervention against the language, culture, identity and future of the Western Thrace Turkish community.” He emphasized that minority education is a fundamental right guaranteed under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which established the framework for minority rights in Turkey. Çavuşoğlu accused Greece of implementing policies that systematically weaken the institutional presence of the Turkish minority, particularly by reducing access to education in the Turkish language. He pointed to reports of administrative hurdles being used to prevent some students from enrolling at the Iskeçe (Xanthi) Central Turkish Minority Primary School, which is among those set to close. “A child’s right to receive education in his or her mother tongue is an inseparable part of universal human rights,” he said. Parents, he argued, should be able to choose minority-language education without facing bureaucratic barriers. Such restrictions, he claimed, contradict both educational freedom and core human rights principles. Çavuşoğlu also raised concerns about Greece’s adherence to democratic values, suggesting that its treatment of the Turkish minority conflicts with the principles of pluralism, human rights and the rule of law upheld by the European Union. He called on Greece to reverse what he described as discriminatory policies and fully uphold its international commitments regarding minority protections. He stressed that the Turkish minority has been an enduring part of Western Thrace for generations and warned that administrative actions alone could not erase its cultural and linguistic heritage. In addition to Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued formal condemnation of Greece’s actions. Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli criticized the Greek government for using low student numbers as a pretext for closing minority schools, calling the measure a violation of the Lausanne Treaty. He highlighted that the closures and related enrollment restrictions represent a continuation of systematic efforts to undermine the educational rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. Keçeli also accused Greece of failing to implement rulings by international courts and recommendations from European institutions regarding the protection of minority rights. He reiterated that Türkiye will continue to support the Turkish minority in its efforts to safeguard its educational and fundamental rights. The ministry has consistently maintained that the Lausanne Treaty guarantees the community’s right to maintain its language, religion and cultural traditions.