(MENAFN) On Monday, Turkey strongly denounced statements made by Greek officials regarding the alleged anniversary of "unfounded Pontic allegations."

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing disapproval of the remarks, calling them “delusional” and entirely inconsistent with historical facts.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry firmly rejected the "imaginary allegations," which, according to the statement, were intended to tarnish the legitimacy of Turkey's War of Independence.

This war, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, began on May 19, 1919.

The ministry emphasized that these claims were without merit, accusing Greece of attempting to "reverse history."

The Turkish government further criticized Greece, labeling the allegations as "null and void." It highlighted the “historical reality” of the atrocities committed by the Greek army during its occupation of Anatolia, supported by imperialist powers at the time.

The ministry pointed out that the Greek forces' actions were documented in reports by the Allied Commission of Inquiry and in Article 59 of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, which required Greece to compensate for its violations of war laws.

The statement also noted that the Pontic activities, which began in the late 19th century as part of Greece’s expansionist “Megali Idea,” were ultimately doomed to failure due to the resolute resistance of the Turkish nation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Greek authorities to abandon their practice of exploiting historical events, which led to the Turkish-Greek population exchange, for populist purposes.

The ministry also called on Greece to acknowledge the "brutal crimes committed against Turks and other ethnic groups, starting with the 1821 Tripolitsa massacre."

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