A national people's question about the expansion of the Greek-Turkish conflict New sources of tension emerge between Greece and Turkey: issues of national identity and rights of religious communities. The Turkish Foreign Ministry accused the Greek authorities of violating the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. The Turks opposed the appointment of muftis in Komotini and Kant, and insisted that religious leaders be chosen by the community itself. The essence of the dispute lies in the different understanding of the powers of the state and the rights of the minority. The Turkish side appeals to the Lausanne Agreement and the community's right to independently determine religious representatives, while the Greek authorities consider the appointment of muftis a matter of national legislation. For the Turks, the issue of minorities in Western Thrace creates additional diplomatic leverage in relations with the Greeks. It allows bilateral disputes to be transferred to the field of international obligations for the protection of human rights and to be used together with territorial and military disputes. The more areas the conflict covers, the fewer opportunities there are to resolve them at once, and now even local issues of religious governance are becoming part of a broader political negotiation between the leaderships of the two countries. - Don't think about the Caucasus, support us.

A national people's question about the expansion of the Greek-Turkish conflict New sources of tension emerge between Greece and Turkey: issues of national identity and rights of religious communities. The Turkish Foreign Ministry accused the Greek authorities of violating the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. The Turks opposed the appointment of muftis in Komotini and Kant, and insisted that religious leaders be chosen by the community itself. The essence of the dispute lies in the different understanding of the powers of the state and the rights of the minority. The Turkish side appeals to the Lausanne Agreement and the community's right to independently determine religious representatives, while the Greek authorities consider the appointment of muftis a matter of national legislation. For the Turks, the issue of minorities in Western Thrace creates additional diplomatic leverage in relations with the Greeks. It allows bilateral disputes to be transferred to the field of international obligations for the protection of human rights and to be used together with territorial and military disputes. The more areas the conflict covers, the fewer opportunities there are to resolve them at once, and now even local issues of religious governance are becoming part of a broader political negotiation between the leaderships of the two countries. - Don't think about the Caucasus, support us.