By Ayhan Mehmet

GUMULCINE, Greece (AA): A Turkish cemetery in Greece’s Western Thrace region has been targeted by unidentified people over the weekend.

Some 20 tombstones have been damaged in the cemetery of the Turkish minority in Narlikoy.

In a statement on Facebook, the Friendship Equality and Peace Party, a party popular with the Turkish minority community, condemned the incident, calling on the Greek authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Serif, head of the Consultative Committee of Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, visited the cemetery following the attack.

The incident was reported to police, said Serif, who is also the Turksih Muslim community elected mufti of Gumulcine (Komotini), and expressed his hope that the relevant authorities will take necessary measures in this regard.

Turkey strongly condemned the destruction of tombstones in a Turkish Muslim cemetery, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

“We have taken note of the statement made by the Greek Secretary General at the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs on this heinous incident, stating that an investigation has been initiated.

“We expect the Greek authorities to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice as soon as possible, to ensure that they receive the punishment they deserve and to clarify the reasons behind the incident,” Tanju Bilgic said in a statement.

“We convey our condolences to our kinsmen living in Narlikoy and share their sorrow.

“The fact that even the cemeteries of Muslims are being targeted as part of the increasing Islamophobia across Europe demonstrates the importance and urgency of the struggle to defend our common human values,” he said.

Turkey calls on Greece to take the necessary measures in this direction, to prevent similar acts in the future, and to ensure the peace and security of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace, Bilgic added.

The Western Thrace region – located near Greece’s northeastern border with Turkey – is home to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000.

The rights of Turks of Western Thrace are guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. But over the decades, the situation has seriously deteriorated, with Greece refusing to carry out rulings by the European Court of Human Rights.

Turkey has long criticized Greece for depriving the Muslim Turkish minority of their basic rights and freedoms.