Friday, December 8, 2017

Erdogan wraps up tense Greece visit with trip to Thrace

by Kerin Hope

Financial Times

December 8, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up a tense visit to Greece on Friday with a brief trip to the northeastern region of Thrace, the home of a Muslim minority of mainly ethnic Turkish descent.

“Erdogan, Erdogan, our leader,” shouted a crowd of several hundred people outside a mosque in Komotini where the Turkish leader attended midday prayers.

Later, Mr Erdogan addressed members of the minority at a Greek state highschool where most lessons are taught in Turkish. He also met with community representatives, including Muslim MPs from the governing left-wing Syriza party and Muslim religious leaders, before flying back to Ankara.

In Athens, Mr Erdogan on Thursday accused Greece of historic discrimination against the minority, asserting that the per capita income of the ethnic Turkish community was more than 80 per cent lower than that of other Greek citizens.

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