THE GREEKS OF ISTANBUL

Paper presented on the OSCE – ODIHR Meeting on Human Dimensions

in Warsaw on September 24^th, 2001

The Constantinopolitan Society represents more than 100.000 Greeks of Istanbul expatriated by Turkish coercion.

We wish to express from this desk our deep sorrow and our abhorrence for what it happened in the USA on September 11^th 2001 .

For centuries now the Greeks of Istanbul never reacted violently when trying to push forward their rights. Although the minority suffered persecutions, murdering, assassinations, raping, humiliation, mass expulsion, harassment, expropriation and other outlaw actions always tried to solve the problems by using peaceful means.

And we do not refer to the past. We do want specifically to refer to the present year 2001, where discrimination is going on. Fundamental freedom and basic human rights of the Greeks in Istanbul are continuously violated. Intervention on the free running of Associations and Charitable Institutions is a daily routine practice. The minority is being denied equal treatment in education and its right to control its schools.

The Greek s of Istanbul is a recognized minority based upon the Treaty of Lausanne signed in 1923 and is trying to protect its rights. The Constantinopolitan Society asked for the help and support of the OSCE, the UN, the USA and the EU. There are numerous resolutions that condemn Turkey for her acts, thus without any obvious result.

Turkey persistently refuses all allegations and every time gives cliché answers. That all citizens irrespective of race, color or religion are equal against the laws etc, etc. Everybody knows that as a result of these acts, the Greek population in Istanbul has declined from about 120.000 at the time of signing of the Lausanne Treaty in 1923 to less than 1000 today.

We once again kindly ask the members of the participating OSCE states, to assume responsibility upon this problems and take all necessary actions and measures according to the Helsinki Final Act, the Copenhagen Document (1990) and all other agreements that refer to the protection of the human and minority rights, so that the states involved be obliged to implement their commitments and respect their signature.

Otherwise the lack of implementation in general by any of the participating countries which disregard said agreements, always under the indifference of the rest, may provoke reactions and the consequences could be disastrous to the world peace and stability.