The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to criticism from Turkey on the recent visit of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and subsequent statements that were made following meetings with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and PM Alexis Tsipras regarding the Armenian and Pontic genocides.

Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç spoke of a “pathetic mentality” that is “built upon a joint hostility and slander language directed against the Turkish identity”. The Turkish official further argued that “Turkey and the Turkish people will never give credit to those bringing to the fore at every opportunity a dictum of history which is unlawful, disconnected with realities, one-sided and obsessive”.

In response, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras told journalists that “it appears that Turkey believes that if History does not agree with what it claims, so much worse for History. The moments are too critical for pointless and hypocritical rhetoric”.

Furthermore, Mr. Koutras underlined that Turkey “must abandon its obsessions and come to terms with its historic past. Greece will stand by its side in this difficult endeavor”.