Greece Condemns OIC References to ‘Turkish Minority’ in Thrace, During UN Session

Greece’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations on Thursday underlined what he called the country’s serious concerns and objections to the content of certain resolutions passed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying the latter and elements of other such proclamations directly violate international law.

The Greek diplomat, Amb. Ioannis Stamatekos, spoke during a UN Security Council discussion focusing on the international body’s cooperation with the OIC.

He directly referred to a recent joint resolution by the latter organization entitled “On the Situation of the Turkish Muslim Minority of Western Thrace, Greece”, as well as quip about a “Turkish Muslim Community on the Dodecanese”.

Stamatekos said Athens considers such references as mistaken, given that the internationally recognized Lausanne Treaty of 1923 defines the status of the Muslim minority in Thrace as based on religion.

He also emphasized that the small number of Greek citizens of the Muslim faith on Rhodes and Kos enjoy the same rights as every other Greek citizen, with their religious rights and freedoms fully protected.

Turning to Cyprus, he pointed to UNSC Resolutions 541 and 550, which require full compliance.

Instead, the Greek diplomat said, the OIC since 2004 has bestowed an observer status to the Turkish Cypriot pseudo-state, contravening the UNSC resolutions. The latter, he added, call on all countries to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, and to not recognize the illegal entity or support it in any manner.

Stamatekos said Athens’ efforts to broach these issues with the OIC’s secretariat have had no result.

Moreover, he said the adoption of positions that violate international law in no way further cooperation between the UN and the OIC or the Security Council’s work.

Finally, he said Greece, an elected rotating member of the UNSC for the current two-year period, will not back away from tabling these issues with the OIC and its member-states, as it believes in the importance of a sincere and honest cooperation.