The Turkish foreign ministry in a statement today took two phrases, which it placed in separate quotes, from a speech of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in order to speciously suggest that he harbours irredentist sentiments.
“The Greek press has reported yesterday (6 March) that Mr. Pavlopoulos, President of Greece has made the following remarks about Turkey: “We might not have the territory that we should have had historically”… “If history compels us, we will do what our ancestors had done…,” the statement, made by spokesman Hami Aksoy in response to a question read.
“We invite President Pavlopoulos to respect international law and our borders, and to refrain from a rhetoric which is not befitting his position, and that could cause unnecessary tension.”
Immediately beforehand, the Turkish foreign ministry condemned the burning of the Turkish flag at a rally in Greece on Monday.
“We strongly condemn the burning of our flag during a rally against Turkey organised by a racist political party in Athens on 5 March. We demand that the Greek authorities arrest the perpetrators who committed this heinous act against our flag, and bring them to justice as soon as possible,” the statement read.
