Turkey on Varythymiadis deportation – “He is an ordinary citizen”

Ankara responds provocatively to Athens' objections to the detention and deportation of the president of the Pampontian Federation of Greece, George Varythymiadis, who was to attend as a representative of Pontian Hellenism, at the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela.

QA-36, 13 August 2021, Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tanju Bilgiç, in Response to a Question Regarding the Statement of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the non-admission of a Greek citizen to Turkey
We find it odd and reject the statement made by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the non-admission of a Greek citizen into our country, holding an ordinary passport, who did not have an official duty and title.

We remind Greece that the authority to set out entry conditions into a country is the sovereign right of every state.

The Greek citizen, who did not meet the necessary conditions of entry, was denied entry into our country and was sent back to his country following the completion of the process, run in compliance with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and our laws. During the process, he was enabled to get in contact with his Consulate.

The reaction of Athens

It is noted that Athens reacted with an extraordinary demarche to the Turkish Foreign Minister to the illegal detention of the WTO president and his deportation by the Turkish authorities.

"On the instructions of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, the Embassy in Ankara handed an emergency demarche to the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding the abusive detention and deportation order against the President of the Pampontian Federation of Greece. Mr. Varythymiadis went to Istanbul today in order...