NATO deletes post congratulating Turkey on battle victory over Greece

By Al Mayadeen
Source: Agencies
1 Sep 2022 17:39
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The post was made in reference to the 100th anniversary of the victory over the Greeks in the Battle of Dumlupinar.

This memorial commemorates the Battle of Dumlupınar (26-33 August 1922). The Greek Army was defeated in the battle.

The NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) has removed from its social media accounts a post congratulating Turkey on the day of victory over Greece in Asia Minor in 1922 after a stern demarche from Athens, Athens-Macedonian News Agency reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry said that the permanent representative of Greece to NATO expressed a strong protest to the NATO Secretary General, emphasizing that such congratulations were "not only inappropriate but also unacceptable."

The Greek military in NATO will make a similar representation at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), which includes the headquarters of the land command, according to the ministry.

Turkey is celebrating this year the 100th anniversary of the victory over the Greeks in the Battle of Dumlupinar, which marked the final victory of Ankara in the Turkish War of Independence. For Greece, the battle turned into a disaster in Asia Minor.

The relations between Athens and Ankara have been complicated for decades. The countries were on the verge of an armed conflict three times in the summer of 2020. Greece had to mobilize its armed forces after Turkey launched a seismic survey in the Eastern Mediterranean, the area that Athens considers its exclusive economic zone.

Most recent updates reveal that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Greece of causing instability in the region after radar recordings divulged to NATO exposed an S-300 air defense system tracking a Turkish air forces F-16 aircraft performing a reconnaissance flight 10,000 feet west of Rhodes Island on August 23.

The Greek side denied the incident, with sources arguing that "Greece's S-300 missile system has never put a lock on Turkish F-16 jets." It accused Turkey of distorting reality and spreading false facts when accusing Greece of targeting its military aviation.