‘Confronting the past’: Greek Prime Minister on the Asia Minor Catastrophe

·

Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, attended the opening of the ‘Asia Minor: Shine, Destruction, Uprooting’ exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens on Wednesday.

The exhibition was opened on the National Remembrance Day for the Genocide of the Greek of Asia Minor.

During the opening night, Mitsotakis gave a speech and praised the contribution of Pontian refugees from Asia Minor to Greece at that time.

The Greek Prime Minister also emphasised that every great setback can be followed by a greater national success, and that today the “Great Idea” is not associated with geographical possessions but with “Greater Greece.”

“The real confrontation of a country is with its past and its future. Hellenism may have lost one of its most creative foci in September 1922. Soon after, however, the country learned to win the battle for its prosperity,” Mitsotakis said.

Mitsotakis speaking at the exhibition opening.

Next, the Prime Minister referred to the efforts of the Greek state and Eleftherios Venizelos to deal with the resettlement of millions of refugees through the Lausanne Treaty – which Turkey continues to revise to this day.

“Since then, the Treaty of Lausanne has governed our co-existence with our neighbours… despite the fact that Turkey has violated it by uprooting the Greek element of Constantinople, Imbros and Tenedos,” Mitsotakis said.

“The other side of the Aegean should realise, however, that the nearly one century of validity of this Treaty will be succeeded by many more. This is what history and geography, legitimacy and international stability require.”

READ MORE: Giannis Koutoulias on fighting to preserve history at the Museum of Asia Minor Culture.

Source: AMNA.gr.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Greek PM commits €100m to Mount Athos for heritage and infrastructure works

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged €100 million in funding for Mount Athos during a two-day official visit.

Greek Foreign Minister meets Libyan Commander Haftar in Benghazi

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met with General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, in Benghazi.

Eric Brown’s viral Epiphany memory unites Greek and First Nations communities

The social media video of Bidjigal Gundungarra Dharawal man, Eric Brown, has captured the hearts of thousands of Greek Australians.

Greek-owned ship attacked and abandoned in Red Sea amid Houthi escalation

Crew members of a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier, Magic Seas, were forced to abandon ship in the Red Sea.

Victorian government launches Anti-Hate Taskforce after wave of antisemitic attacks

A man has been charged in connection with an alleged arson attack on a historic synagogue in East Melbourne.

You May Also Like

Celebrating 50 years of the Department of Modern Greek at the University of Sydney

The Department of Modern Greek at the University of Sydney has announced a special event marking its 50th anniversary milestone.

Hellenic Writer’s Association of Australia hold student literary competition

The Hellenic Writers’ Association of Australia has announced its annual Student Literary Competition, titled “From Greece to the World”.

Greek Australian property developer successfully appeals breath test refusal conviction

A Greek Australian property developer who allegedly hurled insults and abuse at two female police officers has had his criminal case thrown out of court.