President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday criticized Greece's appointment of the chief mufti and Athens' treatment of the Turkish community in Western Thrace.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that Erdoğan stated this after attending the commemoration ceremony of Turkey's late President Turgut Ozal.

Under the Treaty of Lausanne, Greece has no right to appoint the chief mufti for Muslims as Turkey does not have the right to appoint the patriarch in our country.

"Not Greek officials but our muftis and imams have the right to decide on the chief mufti in Greece," he added.

Erdogan also criticized how Athens treated Turkish descendants living in the country, saying that "some 150,000 people of Turkish descent live in Western Thrace today, but Greece does not show them the respect those citizens deserve."