Madam Chairman, we would like to thank the panelists who spoke today for their valuable
contributions to this important forum. We wish to make a few very short remarks.
We appreciate the statement made by the Greek delegation today, we see in that statement a
welcome intention to improve the situation of Turkish minority in western Thrace. We believe that
minorities constitute bridges of friendship between our two countries. Turkey has also been engaged
in this issue with the same philosophy, we remain open to further cooperating with Greece in this
area. According to CERD reports and other publicly available documents there continued to be
issues concerning a Turkish minority which need to be addressed by Greece. There is no need to
enter into these issues at this meeting, all positive steps in this regard will be equally welcomed and
supported by Turkey. Thank you.