Turks of Western Thrace

Turks of Western Thrace (Turkish: Batı Trakya Türkleri) are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the north-eastern part of Greece.

According to the Greek census of 1991, there were approximately 50,000 Turks in Western Thrace, out of the approximately 98,000 strong Muslim minority of Greece. Other sources estimate the size of the Turkish community between 120,000 and 130,000. The Turks of Western Thrace are not to be confused with Pomaks or Muslim Roma people of the same region, counting 35% and 15% of the Muslim minority respectfully.

In response to the declaration of independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, the Greek government adopted a policy of referring to the Turkish community as Greek Muslims or Hellene Muslims, and does not recognise a separate Turkish minority in Western Thrace. Nevertheless, the fundamental rights of this community are enshrined in the Greek constitution and the Treaty of Lausanne.