Greece lodged a complaint with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg after the NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), headquartered in the western Turkish province of İzmir, tweeted a message commemorating Turkey’s victory against Greek forces in a decisive battle in 1922 during the Turkish War of Independence, the Greek Kathimerini daily reported.
On Tuesday Turkey marked the 100th anniversary of its victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, which was fought under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. Ceremonies were held across the country on the occasion of this day, which is seen as an important turning point in the history of the Republic of Turkey.
LANDCOM joined in the celebratory mood in the country, tweeting: “Today is the 100th anniversary of Turkish Independence. We join our Turkish allies across NATO and beyond in celebration of their Victory and Turkish Armed Forces Day.”
Greece’s permanent representative to the security alliance has filed a complaint condemning the “unacceptable” move, the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday, as they voiced their unease with LANDCOM’s message.
The ministry also said the Greek army will also lodge a similar complaint with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
Despite being NATO allies, neighboring Turkey and Greece have long-standing sea and air boundary disputes which lead to near-daily air force patrols and interception missions mostly around Greek islands near Turkey’s coastline.
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