Greece rejects Turkish minister's comments on Muslim minority

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wears a mask during a visit to the grave of late lawmaker Sadik Ahmet, in Komotini, Greece, May 30, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece reacted angrily on Sunday to a statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that described members of a Muslim minority in northern Greece as Turkish and that said they were not accorded full civic rights.

The statement by Cavusoglu, during a private visit to the northern Greek region of Thrace on Sunday, came ahead of his official meetings on Monday with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Athens.