On New Year’s Eve there was an arson attempt at the Greek Consulate of Smyrna, which is located on the historic waterfront of the city

The incident stayed away from the spotlight but became known by SYRIZA MP, Andreas Michailidis, after his visit to Smyrna on the eve of the Epiphany. Moreover, he accused the Turkish authorities of apathy, noting at the same time that: “Greece honors the friendship with its neighbors, but knows how to stand up to provocations and how to respond, always in accordance with the international law“.

The Greek Consulate confirms

The incident is also confirmed by the Greek Consulate of Smyrna as a sad but isolated incident for which the Turkish authorities are conducting the necessary investigations trying to identify the perpetrators.

The history of the building

The building, also known as the “Kapetanakis building”, is located on the historical beachfront of Smyrna in Punta (Alsantzak) at number 262 of today’s Atatürk Street and it is one of the few on the coastal front that survived the Asia Minor Catastrophe. It is a typical example of Smyrna residence architecture and was bequeathed to the Greek state in 1948 by the expatriate merchant Emmanuel Apergis or Kapetanakis.

It was a short distance from the “Theater of Smyrna” which was destroyed in September 1922 during the destruction of the city by the Turks.

The Greek Consulate of Smyrna, founded in 1877, until the Asia Minor Catastrophe was housed in the area of the old Cathedral of Agia Fotini. Since 1924 it had been housed in several buildings. Lastly, it was housed in a building on the waterfront at Attakur Street, 320, which was destroyed by the Turkish mob during the ethnic cleansing of September 1955, when the elimination of the 300.000 strong Greek minority of Constantinople also took place.

On October 24, 1955, the Consulate was transferred to the Kapetanakis building, which will now be restored. The restoration of the Consulate General’s building was undertaken by the architect Turgay Bakir.