NATO’s Allied Land Command (LANDCMD) has deleted a Twitter post congratulating Turkey on its Victory Day after Greece sent a formal demarche to the Alliance’s Secretary General.
Also known as Turkish Armed Forces Day, Victory Day commemorates Turkey’s victory over Greece in the Greco-Turkish War in 1922.
In a tweet, LANDCOM, which is headquartered in Turkey’s Izmir city, wrote: “We join our Turkish allies across NATO and beyond in celebration of their Victory and Turkish Armed Forces Day.”
The tweet was accompanied by a photo depicting a unit of Turkish soldiers below a large Turkish flag.
Posted on Tuesday, the tweet was no longer visible by Wednesday night.
This comes after Greece lodged a complaint with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, condemning the “tasteless” and “unacceptable” post.
According to a statement by the Greek Foreign Ministry, the Greek army would lodge a similar complaint with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
The tweet is the latest in rising tensions between Greece and Turkey this week.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the “great attack” of the Turks against the Greeks during the war. In a speech he presented Greeks as “pawns” in the service of “treacherous” foreign powers.
Erdogan also accused Greece of “hostile action,” alleging Greek defence used a Russian-made missile system to harass its F-16 fighter jets carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace.
Both claims have been vehemently dismissed by Greece.
Source: Ekathimerini.