During a visit at Panagia Sumela monastery near Veria, in northern Greece, to mark this year’s 15 August commemoration of the Dormition of the Virgin, Greek President of Democracy Prokopis Pavlopoulos 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.”
He also stated that Ankara must offer a “sincere apology” for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Black Sea, or Pontic Greeks by the Turks almost a century ago.
Greece has since 1994 recognised the murder of up to around 370,000 Greeks who lived on the shores of the Black Sea between 1914 and 1923 as genocide holding May 19 as an annual day of remembrance.
Mr Pavlopoulos also took to the press to criticize the Turkish authorities’ newly imposed ban on the historic Monastery of Panagia Sumela, Kathimerini reports.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate was notified that the permit allowing the monastery to perform the mass for the Christian Orthodox religious ceremony, citing building repair works.
Meanwhile, Pontic Greek associations have expressed doubt over the intentions of Turkish authorities linking the incident to the even stricter measures that follow last month’s failed coup attempt.