AKP mayor implies Istanbul mayoral candidate Imamoglu has Greek roots

Tevfik Göksu was referring to the Pontic Greeks who traditionally lived in the region of Pontus until they were ethnically cleansed by Turkey before the 1923 population exchange

 

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) mayor of İstanbul’s Esenler district has said Greeks were very happy about the election of Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul mayoral candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu in the March 31 local elections because he is from Trabzon.

Esenler Mayor Tevfik Göksu was referring to the Pontic Greeks who traditionally lived in the region of Pontus, on the shores of the Black Sea and in the Pontic Mountains of northeastern Anatolia until 1922. Trabzon, İmamoğlu’s hometown, is a Black Sea province in northern Turkey.

Speaking at a fast-breaking dinner on Tuesday, Göksu said it was the Greek media that was the happiest about the election of İmamoğlu as İstanbul mayor on March 31.

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