Κατά την συνέντευξη Τύπου των Υπουργών Εξωτερικών Ελλάδας και Τουρκίας, που διεξήχθη μετά τη συνάντηση της15ης Απριλίου 2021, δηλώσατε ότι αναγνωρίζετε εμάς, την Ελληνική Μειονότητα της Κωνσταντινούπολης (κατά την ορολογία της Συνθήκης της Λοζάνης) ως Ρωμιούς, και σας ευχαριστούμε.
Ως Ρωμιούς λοιπόν, η Τουρκία έλαβε κάθε είδους οικονομικό, διοικητικό και ψυχολογικό μέτρο καταπίεσης εναντίον μας, επέβαλε εξοντωτικούς φόρους, όπως τον φόρο περιουσίας και καταναγκαστικά έργα για όσους δεν είχαν να πληρώσουν.
Ως Ρωμιούς, η τουρκική κυβέρνηση, με δική της ευθύνη, σύμφωνα με απόφαση τουρκικού δικαστηρίου, οργάνωσε το πογκρόμ του 1955 εναντίον μας, μας εμπόδισε να μιλούμε την μητρική μας γλώσσα δημοσίως, επέβαλε εναντίον μας μέτρα παρεμπόδισης της εκπαίδευσης και έκφρασης του ελληνικού πολιτισμού μας. Μας εξανάγκασε με τα μέτρα αυτά να εγκαταλείψουμε τις πατρογονικές μας εστίες και από 103.000 που είχαμε απομείνει το 1924, να έχουν παραμείνει σήμερα στην Κωνσταντινούπολη λιγότεροι από 2.000.
Μας αναγνωρίζετε ως Ρωμιούς, αλλά καταδεικνύεται επίσης ότι η Τουρκία ακριβώς για τον λόγο αυτό μάς εξεδίωξε.
OPEN LETTER OF THE CONSTANTINOPOLITANSOCIETY
TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF TURKEY MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU
In the press conference of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey, following the meeting on April 15, 2021, you declared that you recognize us, the Greek minority in Constantinople (by the terminology of the Treaty of Lausanne), as Greeks, and we thank you.
Therefore, because we were Greeks, Turkey has taken every kind of economic, administrative, and psychological measure of oppression against us. It imposed disastrous taxes, such as the Property Tax and deadly forced labor for those who had no means to pay.
Because we were Greeks, the Turkish government organizedthe pogrom of 1955 against us; it prevented us from speaking our mother tongue in public and imposed measures against us to hinder our culture and education. These measures forced us to abandon our ancestral homeland. As a result, from 103.000Greeks in 1924, fewer than 2.000 remain today in Istanbul.
You acknowledge us as Greeks, and evidently because of that,Turkey ousted us.
ATİNA’DAKİ İSTANBULLULAR DERNEĞİNİN
TC DIŞİŞLERİ BAKANI MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU’NA ACIK MEKTUBh
15 Nisan 2021 deki Yunanistan ve Türkiye Dışişleri Bakanlari görüşmesinin ardından düzenlenen basın toplantısında, İstanbulda Lozan Antlaşması gereğimce kalan Rum azınlığını özel etnik grup olarak tanıdığınızı belirttiniz, bunun için ayrica teşekkür ederiz.
Dolayısıyle, Rum olduğumuzdan dolayı TC Hükümetleri, aleyhimize her türlü ekonomik, idari ve psikolojik baskı önlemleri aldi, seferberlik, Varlık vergisinin uygulanmasında olduğu gibi aşırı vergilendirme, vergi borcunu karşılayamanları çalışma kamplarına sürgüne gönderilmesigibi.
Rum olduğumuzdan dolayı, TC Hükümetti 1955 yılında aleyhimizdeki pogromu düzenledi. T.C Hükümettinin sorumluluğu TC Yassıada Mahkemesi tarafından tesbit edildi.
Anadilimizi toplum içinde konuşmamız ve kültürümüzün icrası engellendi, eğitim ve ifade özgürlüğümüz kısıtlandırıldı.
Bu eylemlerden dolayı atalarımızın topraklarını terk etmek zorunda kaldık. 1924’te 103.000 (yüz üç bin) aşan İstanbuldaki nüfusumuz bugün 2.000 (iki bin) kişiyi aşmamaktadır.
Bizi Rum olarak tanıdığınızdan dolayıdır ki, TC bizi atalarimizin topraklarından sürgün etti.
