Turkey denied entry to the President of the Pan-Pontian Federation of Greece and is holding him in an airport in Istanbul.
He will reportedly be expelled and forced to return in Greece. In fact, the Foreign Ministry recently protested to the Turkish Foreign Minister.
The president of the Pan-Pontian Federation, Georgios Varythymiadis, said: "I am being held at the airport detention centere. They have not explained the reason to me, I do not know what has happened."
According to a post by the Federation itself on Facebook, Varythymiadis went to the neighbouring country today to attend, as a representative of Pontian Hellenism, at tomorrow's Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta in Pontos.
He was not allowed to enter the country with the other members of the mission who continued their journey normally.
"The President of the Pampontian (Pan-Pontian) Federation of Greece, Mr. George Varythymiadis, is being held at the airport of Istanbul and he is not allowed to enter the country in order to attend, as a representative of Pontian Hellenism, at tomorrow's Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela in Trabzon!
"The other members of the mission were released to continue the journey.
"Moves are being made to find a solution to the unacceptable and offensive problem created by the Turkish authorities."
https://www.facebook.com/poe.org/posts/4243983279023528
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