Ankara Condemns Burning of Turkish Flag During Demonstration in Athens

Ankara has "strongly condemned" the burning of a Turkish flag during a demonstration marking anniversary of Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, calling for the perpetrators behind the act to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned on Tuesday the burning of a Turkish flag during a demonstration that took place in Athens.

"We strongly condemn the burning of the Turkish flag during the demonstrations that took place on 24 April in Athens regarding the so-called anniversary of the 1915 events [genocide of Armenians]," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish Embassy in Greece also demanded that the Greek authorities immediately arrest those responsible for burning the flag.

"This act has been committed against our flag, which represents the independence and sacred values of the Turkish nation. We demand that the perpetrators are brought to justice as soon as possible," the statement added.

Turkish-Greek relations remain strained over a number differences on issues such as the partition of Cyprus as well as Greek refusal to extradite eight Turkish soldiers accused of having been involved in the last year failed coup.