As winter is breaking in, Greece is facing another wave of COVID-19 infections.
When George Papandreou came to Istanbul last week to attend a concert by Zülfü Livaneli, he was welcomed by both Turks and Istanbul Greeks with great warmth and a strong sense of nostalgia.
Since the announcement of the agreement of a strategic partnership for cooperation in defense and security with the French, Greeks feel safer. But at a high cost.
It was that morning, two weeks ago, when I had left my home island in the Ionian Sea to spend my last days of my summer vacation in Athens. The Athens part of my trip was to be for the less interesting time, mainly meetings and preparation before returning to my base in Istanbul. Departing from the island becomes more difficult by the year, especially when you leave in the month of September, when the sea is at its best.
There are many common expressions used in both Turkish and Greek languages. One person who was in the best position to affirm that was Hercules Millas, a “Rum” born in Istanbul but living in Greece for many years, a literary translator, writer and academic teaching in universities of both countries.
Even if you were a tourist in Greece - actually for a Turk that would be difficult due to coronavirus restrictions - you would have noticed that Greeks have taken to the streets.
Three days ago, the liberal-conservative government of New Democracy in Greece became two years old. Not new in power any longer, in fact, halfway before its term ends.
I know that some may think that this is the wrong time to talk about culture, when so much is going on in politics or the economy. This is the time of political analysts, international relations specialists, economists and financial experts. Culture is way down the priority list for people who run countries.
Two weeks after the meeting between the Turkish foreign minister and his counterpart in Athens and one-and-a-half year after the last face-to-face meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the two leaders are expected to meet once again on Monday in Brussels on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. The Turkish president confirmed the meeting, adding that he will also meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and several other world leaders.
