Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas called on Turkey to formally recognize the Pontic Greek Genocide, speaking at the ...

Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas called on Turkey to formally recognize the Pontic Greek Genocide, speaking at the annual pilgrimage to the Panagia Sумела shrine on the slopes of Mount Vermio on Sunday. Tasoulas said the Greek state has an obligation to ensure the genocide's reality spreads and is accepted worldwide, including by Turkey itself, so that "similar practices of vile and atrocious ethnic cleansing have no place in the modern world." Tasoulas was attending the feast day celebrations at Panagia Sумела in Imathia, where Pontic Greeks from across Greece and the diaspora gather every August 15 to venerate the icon of the Virgin Mary. The shrine was established on the slopes of Vermio specifically because the landscape resembles the Pontic Alps near the ancient city of Trebizond. Speaking at the ceremony, the Greek president described Pontic Greeks as "one of the most dynamic and creative parts of Hellenism," and said that wherever Greek civilization flourished and the Greek language was heard for centuries, including in Trebizond, its mark remains not only permanent but decisive for those lands. Tasoulas was received at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos by the Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, and several government and parliamentary representatives. Following the Divine Liturgy, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Emperors of Trebizond, the highest distinction of the Panagia Sумела pilgrimage association, which he said would be displayed at the Presidential Palace as a reminder that modern Greece's thoughts remain turned toward its roots. The president also laid a wreath at the bust of Alexandros Ypsilantis and watched part of a traditional Pontic dance performance. #PonticGenocide #Greece #Turkey