Μake us preferred on Google Speaking before the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI), during the discussion of a petition submitted by the Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans, PM Giannis Maniatis directly linked Turkey’s European path to the actual protection of minority rights.
The PASOK MEP and Vice-President of the Socialists and Democrats also called on the European Commission to carry out systematic monitoring and clearly record Ankara’s progress. “Its European path requires genuine respect for international law and for European principles and values,” he stressed.
From 150,000 to Fewer Than 1,000 in Istanbul
Maniatis pointed to the scale of the displacement and the risk that the Greek Orthodox community could disappear permanently from its homeland. According to the petition, 99% of the 150,000 Greeks who lived in Istanbul in the 1950s now live away from their native city, while fewer than 1,000 remain in Istanbul today.
“Behind these numbers are people who were deprived of the chance to continue their lives in their homeland,” he said. He also recalled that the EU Special Representative for Human Rights at the time, Eamon Gilmore, had spoken of discriminatory policies that brought the Greek minority to the brink of extinction.
Key Issues: Halki Theological School, Minority Foundations
Particular emphasis was placed on the unresolved issues that are stifling the community’s operation:
Minority foundations: He condemned the restrictions on coordination among the 70 foundations of the Greek minority and called for the immediate approval of the regulation governing the election of their boards of directors.
Halki Theological School: He reiterated the urgent need for the school to fully reopen, as well as for the removal of obstacles to the training and appointment of clergy, calling it a matter of fundamental religious freedom.
Right of return: He called for real conditions that would allow people to return, including access to citizenship, legal residence, work, and property protection.
“We need concrete results: effective protection of property, equal application of the law, and the free election of boards,” Maniatis concluded, stressing that the European Parliament must closely follow up on its positions.
