"have been put in place procedures to allow Muslims to exercise their religious duties and create a cemetery (Muslims)," said Yiannis Boutaris, Mayor of Thessaloniki, following a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, who ended their three-day official visit to the neighboring country.
Davutoğlu concluded in northern Greece after his trip to meet with members of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace region, which borders with Turkey, and wanted to make a visit to Thessaloniki to visit the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic was born in this city now Greek Ottoman times.
Turkish Minister thanked Boutaris "sensitivity" to the Muslim community living in Greece, and has often complained about the impediments imposed by the Greek government for the construction of mosques. In fact, although there are tens of thousands of Muslims living in Greece, including major cities such as Thessaloniki and Athens, only in the Thrace region bordering Turkey mosques can be found in Greece, where the law requires to do for the Muslim minority of Turkish origin living in that part of the country. The Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou, has also been favorable to resume the long delayed plans to build a mosque in Athens, but without elaborating on the contentious issue.
Boutaris, 68, Socialist Party candidate, won surprisingly the mayor of Thessaloniki in October after beating their rivals from the right in a city that has traditionally been conservative. Above and expressed his desire to erect a monument in Thessaloniki the founder of modern Tuqui, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk born there in 1881.
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