In what ways we can end once and for all the eternal "hate" between Greece and Turkey ?

Question

I am in favour of a turkish-greek friendship,since I have many turks friends. Now you can tell me your ideas. Just try to be objective. Tesekkurler!

Answer 1

Let me be a little bit presumptious and say that no one here understands your feelings better than I do.
I grew up with people teaching me that "Greeks" (Greeks and Greek Cypriots) were all bad. All they think of is how to exterminate all the Turks in the world and destroy our mosques and turn our "home" into Greek land!!!
Later, I learned that Greeks were taught the same, that "all Turks" were barbaric murderers, who wanted to take Greece and put up the Turkish flag on the Parthenon.
In September 2005, I met a young man named Photis from Athens. We met in Canterbury, UK. He speans good Turkish (learned it from his grandfather). He said this:
"All politicians, all history books tell lies. They say that Turks treated Greeks very badly. If it was true, today there would be no Greeks and no Greek language. The truth is Turks never tried to destroy us or assimilate us".
Is it not true? The official history (his story, not her story) tells us such big lies. Add to that the secret (not so secret anymore) agenda of imperialism, and there you go. We are the arch enemies in the world.
I have lived and witnessed very tragic things in Cyprus. I know almost all of the history of the Cyprus conflict. "They" turned us into enemies. When the GC (greek cypriot) left wanted to rise up against the British, TC (turkish cypriot) left was too weak to help. So, the GC extreme right wing (fascist) EOKA took over the anti-colonial struggle against the British.
In return, Britain employed young TC men with high salaries as special police force and sent them against the GCs. The two people started hating each other more and more.
You know the rest of the story from 1958 to today. Thousands of people died from both sides. Tens of thousands of people from both sides had to leave their homes, villages, towns and move to another area.
I know what it means to leave your "home", sweet home. My parents worked so hard to build and improve the house they got married in. The house where I was born. We had to leave it, with all our wealth and memories in it. Many TC and GC people had to do the same. Finally in 1976 the leaders signed an agreement for population exchange. Just like the one they did back in 1920s between Turkey and Greece.
Nobody asked the people if they wanted to leave their homes and go somewhere else.
The pain is still there. It is not just the money, the building (house) etc. It is the "home" that we left, they left. It is our hearts that we left.
I know some TCs who just died of heart failure because they cried every day for their old homes.
BUT, what can we do now? That is the question. Is it possible to take all these thousands of people back, after so many years? Of course not. It is just not practical. It is very tragic, but not practical or pragmatic.
The answer is right in front of our eyes:
"WE HAVE TO LEARN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAIN OF THE OTHER. WE HAVE TO LEARN TO UNDERSTAND AND TO FORGIVE (NOT TO FORGET), BUT TO FORGIVE"
We have to learn to listen. Everyone is talking about dialogue. Dialogue means listening to the other before you speak.
LISTEN, UNDERSTAND, TALK, LOOK INTO ANOTHER DIRECTION TOGETHER WITH THE OTHER.
Thus, we can get rid of the hatred in our hearts and see that there is another way to solve our problems and become friends once again, FOREVER.

Answer 2

Artistic, before answering, just ask somebody where New Smyrna is located and if there could be a tranning camp there. New Smyrna is a much populated territory of Athens, only a few minutes away from the center, every inch of earth costs millions of euros there, it is considered as a luxurius area, there is only one central park as the only free and open space, and there can be no camp or any other free space for any other activity there than building luxurius flats...

It is just the same as if a Greek blames you that you keep a trainning camp for Slavomacedonians in Taxim Square... So much beyond reality....

As for Kurds, Greek people do not like them for their own historical reasons....

Young Turk, you are right... But the invasion of Greek (and other European allies) in Turkey has not be something that greek people decided. Prime Minister Veniselos just accomplished the orders given by B.P. (British Petrolium) which wanted to stretch a hand over the Mossul oils, while King Konstantinos was opposite to this plan, as opposite have been all people belonging to the Left. As you see, greek army has been used as an instrument in the hands of a Great Financial Power (The same happens nowdays in Iraq, and generally in the middle east).

Magrita, please stop with this "recognition" of "Genocides", we live in 2007. There are so many other "genocides" of a different kind which take place nowdays, like the ones of endanged species, rain forests etc, and they have a great impact on our life....

Answer 3

There is not many hating greeks here. Most people are actually sad that anatolian greeks had to leave and blame the government for that. But then again, the invasion of anatolia was not justifiable and created a certain amount of hatred. Because of the reference to the name of the greek king during WW1, we needed to rename our city from konstantinniye to istanbul. And I don't know why our jets are flying so close to the islands, they accomplish nothing but feeding the greek media's already hostile behavior. Maybe its better to leave the maths about who did what aside and say that we want to be friends, again.

Answer 4

There is nothing like ''eternal hatred'' between Turks and Greeks.There is only political issues apart from the Greek and Turkish societies.

Answer 5

I think there is lack of education,and people are closed minded.
We must understand that the SIMPLE PEOPLE have no differences to share in private level..
If we read history, we ll understand, that behind every bad event there were causes, but produced from exterior factors, and not from the people...
If you ask a simple greek or turk "you want the war?he is going to reply of course not, who weill die for the interests of the Big Powers?And be sure that the Big Powers provock everything.They want a hot event between the 2 countries, to enetr later, to exploit petroleum in Aegean, and to sell their arms.
Now, the problem is not there.With Turkey in national level sometimes exist some differences, we all know.
The problem is with other countries, and the greeks know what i mean.With people who have been helped by us, and now the only thing is to turn against us, forgetting that we were the first who opened their arms to receive them...
A big kiss from her abla, to our little baby(dont be angry)Irmak, who created something good, and who has the maturity of an adult...

Answer 6

Hi,

Yes, Irmak did it,
if you want you can join ...

Tolia you said;
' I am Greek, who came from Turkey
He is Turk, who came from Greece'

Definitely right. We lived together 400 years. We are effecting each other for everything.

Regards

Answer 7

We have to do a World Cup or Europe Cup organization together. This is the best way to develop the relations.

Best wishes from Ankara.

Answer 8

yeah Irmak did it!!

join us !

you know we are soooo mixed, you cant imagine!

Lately I talked to a Turkish guy whose ancestors came from a village near mine in Greece!

They were forced to go to Turkey in 1920-22 during the population exchange
and my ancestors came from Turkey!

I am Greek, who came from Turkey
He is Turk, who came from Greece

amazing, isn't it!

I was socked!

lets do dream come true!

Xairetismata - Selamlar!

Answer 9

At first thanks for your interest about Turkish&Greek friendship.

We are very similar countries because we lived together for hundreds of years.We have the same culture,same sense of humour,same cousin...We could be great neighbours if.... :

-you let north cyprus not to be isolated from the rest of the world!

-you don't insist on the idea of continental shelf.you think every island has its own continental shelf,so izmir is yours ( our 3. big city ).That can't be accepted by Turkey.

-if you don't critize Turkey badly,to the European Union

i am %100 sure,we could be great neighbours if Greece thinks again on the subjects i listed above.

Answer 10

First of all, Turkey as a country has to recognise the genocide of the Armenians, Kurds and Greeks. After that... probably things would be much easier.