The MEP and President of “Voice of Logic” spoke about a “vulgar” and offensive letter against Greece, Aphrodite Latinopouloureferring to the document sent by the head of her permanent delegation Turkey to EUambassador Faruk Kaimaktsion the occasion of her references to Pontian genocide.

“This is not only a personal attack, but a letter against Greece,” he said, stressing that “the answer to the vulgar lies of every Turkish official who distorts the story is one: here we are talking about elsewhere.” She was even recorded in a video to crumple the letter on camera.

Ms Latinopoulou criticized both the European Union and the Greek Government for inactivity against Turkish positions, noting:

“The counterfeiting of history is done with the tolerance of Brussels and Athens. They find and do it – no one puts a brake on Turkey. The government had to react immediately. “

“Turkey has no history, it has a criminal record,” he said, adding that it will continue to defend “historical truth” and denounce the falsification of the story “against a European elite who is still discussing Turkey’s accession”.

As he said, the Turkish reaction was caused by the resolution she filed on Monday in the European Parliament for the official recognition of the Pontian genocide.

“This is a historical truth, which is responsible for Turkey. I did it with honor and pride, “he concluded.

The whole letter of Turkey

‘Honorable Member of the European Parliament,

I am writing to express our disappointment on your statements aimed at distorting historical events on the Turkish War of Independence for Internal Political Purposes, and to share some events for that period, if you are interested in dealing with the truth.

The so -called “Genocide of the Pontian Greeks” is a brutal category that has no basis in neither in history nor in international law. As you should be well aware, the Greek army invaded the West Anatolia, taking advantage of the fall of the Ottoman Empire, starting on May 15, 1919 with the incitement and active support of the Antad forces, and local Greek terrorists Ethnic cleansing campaign against the Turkish political population in the area of ​​the Turkish coast of the Black Sea with the aim of creating an ethnic “Pontian-Greek state”. During his invasion until the triumphant victory of the Turkish forces in late 1922, the Greek army and local Greek guerrillas and robbers committed incredible crimes against the Turkish political population in the occupation areas.

Given the alarming reports of atrocities committed by the invader Greek army and their local fifth phalanxes, Antad’s forces were forced to investigate these war crimes by establishing a “investigation committee”. The Commission was forced to admit in its report that the Greek occupation, which had created a scene of cruelty, had turned into a shameful invasion. The atrocities were finally recorded in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which was signed after the victorious completion of the Turkish War of Independence. Article 59 of the Treaty established that the actions of the Greek Army in Anatolia violated the laws of war and forced Greece to pay compensation for them. In short, contrary to the unfounded allegations of Greek nationalism, it was Greece itself, which was involved in a violent invasion campaign in Anatolia, committed incredible atrocities against the Turkish political population, and eventually admitted to its crimes.

In the following period, Turkey and Greece decided to put aside the hostility and began to cultivate good neighboring relations. Ataturk’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 by the then Greek Prime Minister Venizelos (who had also been prime minister during the Greek occupation) is a clear testimony of this event. Historical events cannot be changed by political manipulation. Nor should they be rewritten to serve some narrow -minded populist agendas. Efforts to cause hostility from history will bring nothing good beyond the incitement of conflict and hatred between peoples and countries. Historical episodes, including the controversial ones, should be the subject of a calm study by scholars and historians, not by politicians or propagandists.

In this context, I would also like to remind you that “genocide” is not a general word, but a legal term that defines the most serious crime against humanity in accordance with international law and must be used with responsibility. According to the 1948 Geneva Convention on Genocide, there are specific requirements and criteria to determine if there was genocide (specific evidence, intention to destroy and a decision by a competent court) and none of them apply to the events that took place during the decomposition of the Ottoman Empire.

Common sense and wisdom must prevail in order to maintain positive dynamics in relations between Turkey and Greece as well as democratic credibility and prestige of the European Parliament, preventing such a distortion of history from repeating one and good. Ataturk and Venizelos have already set the moral model and a way forward to follow in this context. “