The Independence War, which was initiated on 19 May 1919 under the leadership of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against the imperialist powers that coveted our homeland, did not only result in a victory of independence and freedom leading to the establishment of our Republic, but also put an end to the inhuman atrocities of the occupying powers and the thugs under their control in Anatolia, and served as a source of inspiration for oppressed nations who longed for independence.

While Greece, which attempted to occupy Anatolia as the toolof the imperialist powers of the time, should not have forgotten the atrocities committed directly by herself in these lands, statements made by the Greek Parliament and authorities on the pretext of the anniversary of May 19, 1919, which completely distort the history, are unfounded and delusional, and we categorically reject them. In the same vein, we condemn the efforts of anti-Turkey lobbies to deceive third countries by bringing up the distorted allegations also outside of Greece, which have no historical basis.

Allegations of Greece of being a victim, which occupied Izmir on May 15, 1919 with the support of the imperialist powers and committed crimes against humanity by perpetratingmassacres in Anatolia as recorded on historical documents, are lacking credibility.

In the face of the horrifying extent of the atrocities committed in the first months of the Greek occupation, the Allies had to investigate these crimes against humanity by establishing an Investigation Commission, and it was revealed in its report that this occupation, which was a scene of cruelty, turned into a disgraceful invasion.

We invite the Greek leadership to confront its own history, to remember the Greek atrocities reflected in the reports of the Investigation Commission, and Greece, whose acts are registered as contrary to the law of war in the 59th Article of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, to accept the historical facts.

There are important lessons that today's Greek leadership should learn from the fact that following Turkey’s War of Independence, the Greek Prime Minister Venizelos nominated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, who led the struggle for independence starting from May 19, 1919 for the Nobel Peace Prize. We remind that leaving irresponsible understanding of politics, which attempts to read history backwards, will be in Greece's own interest.

We invite Greece to work together for peace, stability and a prosperous future on the basis of cooperation instead of trying to distort the facts.