Over the years, thousands of members of the Minority lost their citizenship due to expulsion under this article. Today, despite the abrogation of the article 19 by the Greek Parliament, the suffering of the thousands of stateless minority members still persists for the abrogation is not retroactive according to the terms of the new legislation. Another form of repression practiced by Greek authorities is the denial of ethnic identity of the Minority. The Greek government denies the existence of the Turkish Minority within its borders. The Turkish Minority is considered as a religious minority rather than an ethnic or a national one.
Turkey has no intention of creating a Minority problem for Greece.
Turkey only wants to see the Minority to enjoy its rights recognized by international treaties and to live in peace as equal Greek citizens. We firmly believe that Greece, in line with its international obligations, should be urged to take measures in order to restore the rights and freedoms of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace. What is transpiring in Western Thrace is a clear violation of human rights. It is unacceptable and inconceivable that the members of a minority can be subject to such treatment in a country which is a member of the OSCE, Council of Europe and the European Union. A detailed study of discriminatory treatment meted out to the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace is presented under several headings at the incoming pages.