Rodos,istankoy ye Onikiada TOrlderiItLir ye Dayamma Dernegi/
Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity
Association
ROISDER Head Office • 1813/4 Sokak,No.2/6,D.2 Ethem Bey Apt.,BostanliKarwaka/izmir/TOrkiye • Tel.: +0090 (232) 362 06 44.
rodosistankoyturlderi@hotmail.com • ww.rodosistankoyturideri.org.tr
Name of the Organization: Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association
Contact Person: Prof.Dr.Mustafa Kaymakci(Mr)
E-mail:mustafa.kayrnakci68@gmail.com, rodosistankoyturkleri@hotmail.com
Human Rights Council
6th Session of The Un Forum on Minority Issues— 26 and 27 November 2013
Date & Time: 27 November 2013, 13:15-15:00
Venue: Palais des Nations, Geneva Meeting Room XXVII
Item V: The Religious Problems of The Turks Living in Rhodes, Kos and The Dodecanese
Introduction
The World public opinion has a misconception that the presence of the Turks living in Greece is only
limited to the Western Thrace.ln addition to the Turkish population in the Western Thrace,about 6000
Turks live mostly in Rhodes and Kos.
However, the Greek Authorities do not accept the minority status of our Turkish community claiming that
the Dodecanese were under the administration of Italy when the Lausanne Peace Treaty was signed in
1923.
Rhodes and Kos was occupied by Italy in 1912.Later on,these islands were left to Greece according to the
Paris Treaty in 1947.After the Greek authorities took over the administration of the Dodecanese,they
passed a new act numbered 517/1947 and declared that the Italian acts and regulations were valid as
long as they did not contradict to this new act.
The Italian acts and regulations had determined the rights and responsibilities of the Islam community
and the administration of foundations,described their administrative organization in detail, and organized
However, after 1965 the Greek Authorites gradually limited the implementation of these acts, and