Reciprocity Problem between Greece and Turkey: The Case of Muslim Turkish and Greek Minorities

Abstract

This study aims to show the position of the Greek and Muslim-Turkish minorities from 1923 to 2014, a period during which Turkey and Greece had ups and downs in their relations, and the effects on the relevant minorities respectively. Since 1923 Turkey and Greece have taken their minority issues within the principle of reciprocity. Accordingly, the attitudes of the two countries towards their relevant minorities have been shaped according to the level of relations between them. When Turkey and Greece’s relations have been moderate; minorities have benefited but when their relations soured, they suffered. Although Turkey-Greece relations developed rapidly after 1999, the new positive atmosphere has not fully affected the positions of the minorities. For example, opening the Halki Seminary School and the election of the Muftis has continued to act as an obstacle between Turkey and Greece. In this study, the problems concerning the implementation of the principle of reciprocity and also the impossibility of using this principle within the context of human and minority rights will be discussed.