The electoral result in Rodopi and the statements of Nikos Fili was invited to comment on SKAI and the show “Kalimera” with George Autias, the ND candidate for parliament in the region, Evripidis Stylianidis.

“The pink of the Rhodope map has neither an ideological nor a political sign. It is a capture of a moment because a part of the Muslim minority was sought to be manipulated by some mechanisms to elect specific minority representatives. It is a battle that we have been fighting for the last 20 years, only Kyriakos Mitsotakis had the courage to pull back the curtain and reveal the games that are being set up”, said Mr. Stylianidis characteristically and pointed out that “the main reason is that Turkish foreign policy constantly seeks to completely redefine the character of the religious Muslim minority into an ethnic Turkish minority. It thus seeks to control or manipulate the behavior of part of the minority electorate in order for the world to choose the “elect”.

Regarding Fili’s statements, Mr. Stylianidis emphasized that “small-party flirtation or the desire of some to co-opt some votes should not invalidate the basic principles of national politics. Mr. Fili’s statements insult us as Thracians. He called the minority Turkish, flirting with the voters of this part of society, when in fact it is a religious Muslim minority.”

“Thrace does not need such rhetoric, nor extreme outbursts. Thrace needs to protect the open society model it has built in recent years, which is a model for the wider region. The leadership of SYRIZA should be very careful and listen to the local organizations of the party,” he added.