Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos’ calls for Ankara to offer a “sincere apology” for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Pontic Greeks on the shores of the Black Sea almost a century ago met with the censure of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. In a written statement released by Turkey on Tuesday, Pavlopoulos was criticized for making statements that have “no historical or legal consistency.”
Turkey also rejected claims that authorities refused permission for a religious ceremony at Sumela Monastery in the northern Trabzon province, known to Greeks as Trapezounta, for the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on August 15. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Greek president’s words do not reflect the truth, explaining that the reason for refusal to offer the Sumela Monastery for a Greek religious ceremony were due to repair works taking place at the site.
Pontic Greek associations, however, believe that the real reason for the closure was the conservative wave sweeping through Turkey following last month’s failed coup attempt.
The inflammatory speech that irked the Turkish government was made during a visit to the Panagia Sumela monastery near Veria, in northern Greece, on the occasion of the August 15 Greek Orthodox feast day. He said that the nation would continue to fight “until the recognition of the genocide of Pontic Greeks and the expression of a sincere apology by the descendants of the perpetrators, Turkey.”
The Turkish ministry does not recognize the murder of up to 370,000 Greeks who lived on the shores of the Black Sea between 1914 and 1923 as genocide. In Greece, May 19, is the designated date of remembrance for the victims of the bloodshed.
On the contrary, the Turkish ministry’s statement says that such recognition of the Pontic genocide goes against the spirit of friendship and good neighborhood relations aimed at fostering cooperation between the two nations.
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