To the complex nature of relations which have kept Turkey and Greece together for bad or good, another level of interaction has been added this week: criminality.
Nov. 21 was established as the World Day of Television in 1996 following a decision by the U.N. General Assembly. The annual celebration of that day aimed to promote peace, security, culture, and economic and social development all over the world.
Standing on the ancient, worn-out steps at the entrance of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate at Phanar last week, I thought this could be a rare moment when one could witness a historic event, or to put it more correctly, witness the beginning of a process that could lead to historic change.
The statement from Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Ömer Çelik yesterday, added another sparkle to the already electrified atmosphere lately between Greece and Turkey. Speaking after a meeting of the central committee of his party, Çelik underlined that “block 7 [for which the Greek Cyprus has invited international bids for exploration work] is inside the Turkish continental shelf” and “Greeks should not claim they have rights in the area.” Otherwise, he said “our armed forces will give the necessary answer.”
It is a rare sight for a once powerful politician to be seen pushed into a black police van, barely hiding his handcuffed hands, while his wife being led separately by police to the central Type B High Security Prison in Piraeus, Greece, after the court’s decision to remand them in custody pending a final verdict.
The sudden resignation of the Greek foreign minister on Oct. 17 led the government of Alexis Tsipras to its most serious crisis since it came to power in September 2015.
“We have known you for years and we appreciate your devotion to the Mother Church. It needs the devotion and faithfulness of the ones who serve it, because it faces, especially these days, many problems and challenges and its privileges as the First Seated Church are being disputed and attacked passionately,” said His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew in a recent speech welcoming the appointment of a new bishop.
It is funny how sometimes unrelated events eventually link together and make a different sense.
I was not going to come back to the subject. At least before the end of the summer season. I was not going to talk about this controversial subject about the pros and cons of tourism; especially for us whose countries -Turkey and Greece- where the governments have put the growth in the number of tourists as a key target for their economic performance.
