Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his country drove the enemy (Greeks) into the sea 100 years ago, during a speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Sangarios, which led to the disorderly retreat of Greek forces and the Asia Minor catastrophe.

“The battle of Sangarios ended with the victory of August 30, while on September 9 it reached its final goal by kicking the enemy into the sea of ​​Smyrna. As the enemy withdrew from Sangarios, they destroyed and burned every part and everything in their path, committing countless shameful massacres and thus showing their true face,” Erdogan said, blaming the Greeks for massacres in Asia Minor.

He provocatively linked Sangarios with the Battle of Manzikert and the fall of Constantinople, stressing that the “glorious Turkish history” stretches from Vienna to the Red Sea.

“The victory of Sangarios as well as Manzikert, as well as those of Bursa, Edirne, as well as the fall of Constantinople, are pages of our glorious history, which embraces on one side the gates of Vienna and on the other the Red Sea,” said the Turkish president.