We condemn the delusional statements, which are completely incompatible with historical facts, made by Greek authorities on the pretext of the anniversary of unfounded "Pontic" allegations. We totally reject such imaginary allegations aiming to defame our War of Independence launched under the leadership of the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 19 May 1919.

While it is a historical reality that the Greek army committed countless atrocities in Anatolia, which it occupied with the support of the imperialist powers of the time, the current baseless Greek political attempts to read history in reverse are null and void.

Greek atrocities in Anatolia, which were referred to in the reports of the Allied Commission of Inquiry, were also put on record in Article 59 of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, with Greece being obliged to pay compensation for its acts that violated the laws of war.

The Pontic activities, which emerged in the late 19th century as an extension of Greece’s “Megali Idea” ambitions on our territories, were condemned to eternal failure through our Nation’s resolute struggle. We invite the Greek authorities to abandon their policy of exploiting for populist goals those historical events which led to the Turkish-Greek population exchange, and to commemorate the brutal crimes committed against Turks and other ethnic groups, beginning with the Tripolitsa massacre of 1821.

Such initiatives that draw hostility from history and aim to harm the relations between our countries, which have been advancing with a positive momentum in recent years, should now be brought to an end.