Türkiye denounces Greece’s "fabricated" Pontic narratives, cites historical atrocities in Anatolia

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned the "delusional" statements made by the Greek authorities under the pretext of the anniversary of the unfounded "Pontic" accusations, which have no basis in historical facts.

In a written statement which the Ministry published on its X page regarding certain events organised in Greece on May 19 and the remarks made by the authorities, Caliber.Az reports.

Yunanistan'da 19 Mayıs 2025 Tarihinde Düzenlenen Bazı Etkinlikler ve Yapılan Açıklamalar Hk. https://t.co/PZq3dcj3J3 pic.twitter.com/Jt4eHj36nM

— T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (@TC_Disisleri) May 19, 2025

The Foreign Ministry statement reads: "We condemn the delusional statements made by the Greek authorities under the pretext of the anniversary of the unfounded 'Pontic' accusations, which do not align with historical facts. We reject these statements aimed at tarnishing our War of Independence, which began on May 19, 1919, under the leadership of the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with fabricated accusations.

While it is a historical fact that the Greek army committed countless atrocities on the Anatolian lands it occupied with the support of the imperialist powers of that period, the baseless attempts by today's Greek politics to rewrite history completely in reverse have no foundation whatsoever."

The Foreign Ministry reminds that the atrocities committed by Greece in Anatolia were documented in the reports of the Allied Investigative Commission and recorded in Article 59 of the Treaty of Lausanne, and that Greece was ordered to pay compensation for violating the laws of war.

The statement emphasises that the activities of the “Pontic” movement, which emerged at the end of the 19th century as a continuation of Greece’s ambitions for the “Megali Idea” on Anatolian lands, were permanently halted by the determined struggle of the Turkish people.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Greek authorities to abandon the policy of “exploiting these historical events for populist purposes,” which led to the relocation of both the Turkish and Greek peoples.

“We invite you to honour the memory of the victims of the brutal crimes committed against Turks and other ethnic groups, starting with the massacre in Tripoli in 1821. Such initiatives, aimed at damaging the relations between Türkiye and Greece—which have been developing positively in recent years—must be stopped.”

By Khagan Isayev