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Greece's Education Ministry has ordered the closure of three Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace, citing low student enrollment, a move that minority rights advocates say violates the Treaty of Lausanne and represents systematic discrimination against the region's Turkish population.
The closures affect primary schools in the villages of Kardere and Mehrikos in Rodop, and Hasanlar in Evros.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Türkiye's ethnic minority community in Greece, who view it as part of broader assimilation policies.
Cigdem Asafoglu, president of the Friendship, Equality and Peace Party (DEB), which advocates for Western Thrace Turkish minority rights in Greece, called the closures "a blow to Turkish identity and culture" in an interview with Türkiye daily.
"Despite the Treaty of Lausanne, over the past century, we Western Thrace Turks who remain in minority status in Greece have unfortunately seen our rights determined by treaty articles gradually taken away from us," Asafoglu told.
"We have faced and continue to face various practices of pressure and forced migration," she noted.
The number of schools serving Western Thrace's Turkish minority has declined dramatically from 210 to 83 in the past 20 years. Currently, 3,086 students attend minority schools in the region.
Two secondary schools in Gumulcine and Iskece, which serve 1,100 students, remain physically inadequate for their student populations. Greek authorities have not disclosed the number of minority students attending Greek state schools.
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Asafoglu stated that the Turkish minority faces systematic challenges despite protections guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which established minority rights following World War I.
"The biggest reason for this is our 'Turkish' identity, which Greeks somehow refuse to accept and deny," Asafoglu said.
"In this context, we Western Thrace Turks have a series of fundamental problems awaiting solution, such as identity, education, foundations, religious leadership, and migration," she noted.
She added that Greece has consistently viewed the Turkish minority as a security concern over the past century and continues to strip away Lausanne-derived rights.
Asafoglu expressed confidence that Türkiye closely follows the problems of Western Thrace Turks and makes every effort to help them obtain their rights as determined by international agreements.
"We have full faith that Türkiye is closely monitoring the problems of Western Thrace Turks and is making every effort to help us obtain our rights as determined by international agreements," she said.
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