ORFEAS” Prevention Center: Provocative wishes in Turkish only to pro-refugee media

Serious questions of ethics, institutional order, and communications policy management have emerged regarding the administration of the Prevention Center for Addictions and Promotion of Psychosocial Health of the Regional Unit of Rodopi “ORFEAS,” following a Turkish-language greeting card for the Bayram holiday, which was published selectively on the Turkish-language website Millet.

Written by Nikos Arvanitis

As shown in the relevant photographic evidence, the “ORFEAS” Center, which operates in cooperation with EOPA (National Organization for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions), issued a card with text exclusively in Turkish:

«Rodop İli Bağımlılığa Karşı Önlem Alma Merkezi “ORFEAS” Başkanı Sibel Mustafaoğlu, yönetim kurulu ve çalışanları, bayramınızı tebrik eder, herkese sağlık dolu ve mutlu günler diler.»

(Translation: The president of the Rodopi Prefecture Prevention Center against Addictions “ORFEAS”, Sibel Mustafaoglu, the board of directors and the employees, congratulate you on your holiday and wish everyone days full of health and happiness).

This move by President Sibel Mustafaoglu opens up a wide circle of discussions in the local community of Rodopi, as “ORFEAS” is not a private association, but a Civil Company in which institutional bodies of the Greek state and the region participate, such as the Regional Unit of Rodopi, the Municipalities of Komotini, Maroneia-Sapon, Arrianon and Iasmos, the Holy Metropolis of Maroneia and Komotini, as well as scientific associations.

The Unanswered Questions That Demand Answers

This selective communication tactic raises legitimate questions that require immediate clarification from Ms. Mustafaoglu and the members of the Board of Directors:

• Institutional legality: Is it permissible for a Legal Entity that is funded and operates within Greek territory, under the umbrella of national organizations (EOPA), to issue official cards exclusively in a foreign language, bypassing the official language of the State?

• Selective information and “Black Advertising”: Why were these specific greetings not sent to all local Mass Media outlets of Rodopi, but channeled specifically to the pro-consulate website Millet? Are these placements that belong to the category of “black greetings” (with or without payment), at a time when RodopiPress and other reputable media in the area never received the relevant information?

• Agreement of Board members: Are the other members of the Board of Directors and the participating bodies (such as the Region, the Municipality of Komotini or the Holy Metropolis) aware of the President’s specific initiative? Do they co-sign the exclusive use of the Turkish language and the selective preference for specific minority media?

The prevention of addictions and the promotion of health concerns all citizens of Rodopi, without exclusions, divisions and communication games that expose the institutions.

Editor’s Comment

The choice of Ms. Sibel Mustafaoglu to use the stamp of a sensitive social body, such as “ORFEAS,” to do public relations and moreover in terms that flatter the ears of certain circles of the minority, is unacceptable. When an organization cooperates with EOPA and represents local government and the Church, it must operate with absolute transparency. To ostentatiously ignore the Greek-language media of Rodopi—and especially RodopiPress which closely monitors the issues of the area—and at the same time have Turkish-language cards appear in media that function as mouthpieces of the Consulate, shows clear intent. We await the official explanations from the members of the Board of Directors as to whether “ORFEAS” has been transformed into an instrument of personal or consular policy.

• Source: Millet website / Photographic evidence Edited by: Nikos Arvanitis

  

  

Source: TAXIARCHISpress

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