Turkey Must Come to Terms with its Historical Record: Greece Foreign Ministry

ATHENS — Greece has reacted to comments by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic who on Thursday criticized Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for their remarks on the Armenian Genocide.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras stated that “Turkey appears to believe that if history does not agree with its claims, so much the worse for history. But this is too precarious a time for cheap and hypocritical rhetoric. Obviously, the Republic of Turkey must abandon its obsessions and come to terms with its historical record. Greece will be at Turkey’s side in this difficult task.”

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan on his part stated that “ the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Greek peoples is based on interwoven fate and many expressions of mutual support.Making of denial as the pivot of state policy does not rid Turkey of the responsibility to face its own history”.