Event for Greek Language Day canceled in Turkey amid reactions

An online event organized in Turkey to mark International Greek Language Day on Tuesday was cancelled in the wake of reactions on social and mainstream media.

The conference was called off "because of erroneous perceptions regarding its purpose," the University of Ankara said in a statement.

The event, focused on the poetry of Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis, was organized by the universities of Ankara and Istanbul in cooperation with Greece's University of Thrace and the Greek Embassy in Turkey.

The decision to team up with the University of Thrace caused an uproar on social media and in some Turkish media on Monday and Tuesday, with commentators accusing Greece of violating the rights of the Muslim minority in eastern Thrace.