Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu prompted Greek rebukes after visiting the Thrace region in Greece on Sunday, where he met Muslim leaders, and spoke of a "Turkish" ethnic "minority" there. "Turkey's constant attempts to distort this reality, as well as the allegations of alleged non-protection of the rights of these citizens ... are rejected," the Greek foreign ministry, which considers the Thrace minority a religious not an ethnic group, said.