Former prime minister Antonis Samaras has called on the Greek government to diplomatically utilize Sunday’s decision by Israel to unanimously recognize the massacres of Armenians during World War I as genocide, pressing for corresponding recognition of the genocide of Greeks by the Ottoman Empire.
Samaras, a veteran conservative politician who served as prime minister from 2012 to 2015 and was expelled from the ruling New Democracy party in November 2024 following repeated public criticism of government policy, described Israel’s decision as a “brave step” that “fulfills a historical duty, recognizing the genocide that the Armenians suffered in the last years of the Ottoman Empire.”
The politician, who is widely expected to announce the formation of a new political party imminently, also said he believes the way is now opening for the official recognition by Israel of the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus, Thrace, and Asia Minor.
“Something like this would serve as a decisive barrier to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman expansionist plans that are aimed against Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and the brave Kurdish people,” Samaras said. “The Greek government must take advantage of the opportunity and convey to the Israeli government its strong support for such an initiative.”
Israel’s move is widely seen as a rebuke to Turkey and a stark signal of the deepening rift between the two countries.
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