The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday rejected statements by Greek authorities concerning the period when Greece sought to occupy Anatolia, calling the claims "baseless" and urging Greek officials to act with "seriousness and common sense."
Ankara also recalled that Greece carried out mass killings and destruction against civilians in Anatolia during the period, saying Athens acknowledged those acts and its obligation to pay reparations under Article 59 of the Treaty of Lausanne.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry last week released archival documents and photographs that show atrocities committed by Greek forces in Anatolia between 1919 and 1922.
The ministry shared the material on its social media accounts, saying the records document actions carried out by Greek forces during their occupation of Anatolia and subsequent withdrawal.
"During the occupation of Anatolia and while retreating, Greek forces pursued a systematic policy of destruction, as acknowledged by the Treaty of Lausanne and international reports," the ministry stated.
The ministry said the archival records included evidence from a village near Bursa, describing it as "a painful example of the massacre carried out against Turkish civilians."
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias had earlier Monday commented on the wartime period in Anatolia in a post on social media platform X.
In his remarks, Dendias stated the contributions of Greeks who migrated from Anatolia to Greece and offered his account of events during the Turkish War of Independence, prompting a response from Ankara.
