Being the first Greek premier to visit a Muslim village, Prime Minister George Papandreou has vowed to address problems facing the Muslim minority in Greece.
"Our government is exerting efforts to make sure that the Muslim minority is subjected to no discrimination and to eliminate the mindset of the past in Western Thrace," Papandreou said, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Speaking during a landmark visit to Dimaryo village near the Greek-Bulgarian borders, Papandreou said his government would spare no efforts to solve problems facing Muslims in the region.
"We are determined to solve the problems of the Muslim minority,” he said.
“Greek citizens of different religions and origins live in harmony and they share a common vision for the future in Thrace."
Muslims constitute about one third of the Western Thrace population of 370,000 while the majority are Orthodox Greek Christians.
Most of the Muslims in the region are of Turkish origin.
The primer said the government was working to solve the issues regarding minority foundations and the office of mufti as well as to introduce driving license tests in Turkish, the main language of the village.
He also promised that local Citizen Service Centers will be staffed with more Turkish-speaking personnel, a main demand of the villagers.
Papandreou stressed that the government adheres to the principle of equality before the law.
"Red tape is the oppressor of Christians and Muslims alike," he said.
The Greek premier stressed that the government is struggling against discrimination and "old perceptions" as regards the minority.
Muslims make about 1.3 percent of the population in overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian Greece, according to the CIA facts book.
The capital Athens is home to an estimated 100,000 Muslim Albanians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Moroccans, Syrians and Nigerians.
Anti-Muslim tide has been on the rise in debt-hit Greece, which is battling a growing recession that has brought thousands of job layoffs, in recent months.
In December, Muslims holding an open-air prayer near the city centre in Athens to celebrate `Eid Al-Adha, were harassed by local residents who threw eggs at them and blared loud music from windows.
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