Ankara urges Greece to act for Muslim cemetery
TURKEY’S Foreign Ministry late Tuesday called on Greece to take necessary action following reports of the discovery of a Muslim cemetery from the Ottoman era in the Chalkidiki region of the country.
In a written statement, the ministry said following the press coverage of the cemetery, which was discovered during the construction of a gymnasium in the garden of a school in Simandra village, Turkey’s consulate general to Thessaloniki visited the village and an immediate demarche was made requesting further information.
“As a result of our initiatives, it was learned that 201 tombs belonging to our ancestors were found in the said construction site, but the corpses were kept by the local authorities in the warehouse of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chalcidice and Mount Athos without any notice to our country,” it said.
Summoning the Greek ambassador in Ankara to the ministry, the necessary demarches were made to the Greek Foreign Ministry by the Turkish ambassador in Athens in which they “request an explanation about the absence of a notice to our country regarding the aforementioned tombs, the immediate cease of the construction work at the site, the burial of the retained relics in accordance with Islamic beliefs and with a ceremony in the area where they had been found, and an indication of the burial area as a Muslim cemetery.”
Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, until 1829 when the Greek population succeeded in gaining independence from the empire. At the time, there were many mosques, tombs and other remnants of Ottoman architecture all over Greece. However, the riots and independence triggered a wave during which all Ottoman architecture was damaged or removed.
TURKISH national football team is aiming to reach the knockout stages of the Euro 2020 and qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, coach Şenol Güneş said Tuesday.
In an interview with the state broadcaster, TRT Spor, Güneş said the team is excited about the World Cup qualifiers, scheduled to start in March.
“We start the group stages against the two stronger opponents – Norway and the Netherlands. We’re fully motivated for the ties. Our target is to qualify for the World Cup.
Güneş famously was at the helm of the Turkish national team that made history by becoming third in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
Recalling that success, Güneş said: “We last participated in the 2002 World Cup, which marked some huge achievements for our national team. It also improved the image of our country.”
“But, 20 years have passed since. It’s important for national teams to qualify for the World Cup.” “The Netherlands is 14th, Norway is 44th in the world ranking and we’re 32nd. Both are upcoming teams.”
The national team coach also discussed the upcoming Euro 2020, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“If we want to move to the second round, we need to come out of a group that includes Italy, Switzerland and Wales. Our opponents might be strong but we need to level up as well,” he said.