As Müyesser Yıldız warned on 12punto: Ministry of National Defense responds to Greece's 'delayed' map

Last week, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff visited Istanbul and presented a map to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Journalist and 12punto columnist Müyesser Yıldız warned about the message behind this map in her May 30 column. The Ministry of National Defense issued a response after a long delay.

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As Müyesser Yıldız warned on 12punto: Ministry of National Defense responds to Greece's 'delayed' map

The Ministry of National Defense made statements during its weekly briefing regarding the map that Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Dimitrios Choupis gifted to Bartholomew during his visit to Istanbul.

Choupis, who attended the 18th Conference of Balkan Countries' Chiefs of Defence held in Istanbul on May 27, visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and gifted Bartholomew a map of Thrace showing the ancient Hellenic geography.

REACTION FROM THE MINISTRY

Ministry sources stated, "Instrumentalizing the past to send a message is nothing more than a nostalgic consolation. We invite those who try to disrupt the constructive approaches put forward by the leaders of the two countries and who attempt to build political careers by sowing discord between the Turkish and Greek peoples to abandon nostalgic consolations and to see, understand, and accept the facts."

12punto COLUMNIST AND JOURNALIST MÜYESSER YILDIZ HAD WARNED

While the Ministry of National Defense issued a reaction more than a week after the incident, journalist and 12punto columnist Müyesser Yıldız had warned authorities about the message intended to be conveyed through the 'map' in her May 30 column, using the following expressions:

"Our main subject is the program of Greek Chief of Defence Choupis outside of this meeting and the expressions he used.

He came to Istanbul one day before the meeting, on May 27. According to the posts made on the website and social media account of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, he did the following.

He visited the Consulate General of Greece in 'Constantinople'...

He was received by 'Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew'...

Moreover, he presented a very remarkable map that evokes the Megali Idea to Patriarch Bartholomew, a Turkish citizen who is the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is a Turkish institution affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship according to the Treaty of Lausanne...

Look at what happened just two days before the anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul!..

But unfortunately, there is no one to look, no one to see, and no one who cares."

News Source: 12punto