Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Greece to recognize the muftis elected in Western Thrace

Reacting to Greece's latest state-appointed appointments to the mufti positions in Western Thrace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the Athens administration to recognize the legitimate religious leaders chosen by the Turkish minority.

In the written statement, it was noted that Greece appointed so-called muftis to Komotini and Xanthi, and with these steps, it continued to ignore the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Western Thrace Turkish minority, which were guaranteed by the Lausanne Peace Treaty and international agreements.

Pointing out that the institution of Mufti is an integral part of the religious, social and cultural existence of the minority, the Ministry criticized Athens' attitude with the following words:

"By insisting on not recognizing the self-elected Muftis of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, an official minority in its country, Greece ignores the will and freedom of religion of the Minority and once again reveals its distorted perspective on fundamental human rights. We call on the Greek authorities to recognize the legitimate Muftis elected by the Minority and to give up their attempts to impose appointed muftis."

The process, which led to Ankara's reaction, became official with the decrees published in the Official Gazette of Greece.

According to the decision, Bilal Kara Halil, who previously served as the appointed deputy mufti in Xanthi, was appointed as the Mufti of Komotini, and Şükrü Şerif Damatoğlu, who worked as a religious official in Kos, was appointed as the Mufti of Xanthi for five years.

With this latest move, following Emin Şerif's appointment to Dimetoka in January 2026, the Greek administration has filled all three official mufti positions in Western Thrace through direct state appointment, within the framework of Law No. 4964, which was enacted in 2022.

THE REPRESENTATION CRISIS IN THE REGION HAS CONTINUED FOR NEARLY FORTY YEARS

The origin of the mufti dispute in Western Thrace dates back to the death of Komotini Mufti Hüseyin Mustafa Efendi in 1985.

After this loss, the Athens administration suspended the election procedure and made permanent the system in which muftis were directly appointed by the state, with the regulation issued in 1991.

The Western Thrace Turkish minority, which does not see the names appointed by the Greek authorities as legitimate, continues to go to the polls and elect its own religious representatives.

As legitimate leaders elected by the will of the people, İbrahim Şerif in Komotini and Mustafa Trampa in Xanthi continue their duties.

Turkey argues that the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty, the 1913 Athens Treaty and the Greek Law No. 2345 of 1920 grant the minority the autonomy to choose their own religious leaders.

Ankara also underlines that Greece should also grant the Muslim Turkish minority the right to appoint a religious representative, which it provides to the Orthodox, Catholic or Jewish communities within Greece.

The Greek side, on the other hand, defends the appointment practice by claiming that there is no clear provision in the text of the Treaty of Lausanne that muftis will be appointed by election.