A recent article by the BBC titled ‘Greece’s Invisible Minority’ has offended the Greek ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr. Dimitris Caramitsos-Tziras.
Mr Caramitsos-Tziras has written a letter to the BBC protesting the publication of the piece, saying that “there is only one minority in Greece, as recognized by international treaties, namely the Muslim minority”.
The Greek denial of Macedonian minority rights has been raised as an issue by a United Nations report that concluded:
“Their rights to minority protections must be honoured in accordance with the Declaration on Minorities and the core international human rights treaties. Greece should comply fully with the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, specifically those decisions that associations should be allowed to use the words “Macedonian” and “Turkish” in their names and to express their ethnic identities freely.”
Alastair Stewart, Director of Communications for the UMD, said:
“Mr.Caramitsos-Tziras’ response to the BBC article is to say it is filled with inaccuracies and purposeful omissions – but then again, so is most of the coverage about the Prespa Agreement. The BBC telling the real story is a fruitful beginning, and one that must be carried over.”
“It’s the hope of all of the UMD that this story is the first among many where the real implications of the Prespa Agreement are seen, heard and felt.”
“The ambassador being annoyed is a small price to pay for the truth.”