SOURCE: GREEKCITYTIMES.COM
The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry on Friday delivered a demarche to the Turkish Foreign Ministry via Greece’s embassy in Ankara regarding the detention and deportation order against the president of the Pan-Pontian Federation of Greece (POE) Giorgos Varithimiadis.
As a representative of Pontian Hellenism, Varithimiadis traveled to Istanbul to attend the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Holy Liturgy at the monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta.
HERE IS THE NEWS OF HIS ARREST…
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 center. 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 neighboring 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
