Historic offer boosts
Turkey's EU hope
 
 
 

In an exclusive interview, Greek foreign minister urges reconciliation

Helena Smith in Athens

Monday September 13, 1999

Greece has taken a major step towards rapprochement with the Nato ally it has nearly gone to war with three times in the past 25 years, by saying it wants to help Turkey become a member of the European Union.

The Greek foreign minister, George Papandreou, made the offer on the eve of historic talks today between the Turkish foreign minister, Ismail Cem, and the EU in Brussels. The talks were planned after Athens unblocked millions of pounds in EU aid for its neighbour.

Mr Papandreou's olive branch, proffered in an interview with the Guardian, amounts to a significant policy shift that could have a formidable effect on the future of Greeks and Turks living in war-torn Cyprus and the Aegean sea.

"Greece not only wants to see Turkey in the EU, it wants to be pulling the cart of a European Turkey," said Mr Papandreou.

"Contrary to popular belief, it is in Greece's interest to see Turkey, at some point, in the EU, rather than having it in continual conflict and tension with the bloc and European standards."

The foreign minister said Athens wanted to be "constructive" on the issue of Turkey's EU candidacy by "sharing our own experience in becoming a member". Mr Papandreou said Greece was determined to advance the "common European dream" of all its neighbours.

"It's to our benefit that our neighbours across the Balkans not only become EU members but advanced and prosperous countries," said Mr Papandreou, 44, who has emerged in opinion polls as Greece's most popular politician. "Improving ties with Turkey goes hand-in-hand with the stability of the Balkans," he said.

His moderate views contrast starkly with those of his late father, the three-times prime minister Andreas Papandreou.

Since the collapse of communism, the two regional rivals have frequently vied for influence in the tumultuous area. Greeks and Turks - adding to the long list of disputes that divide them in the Aegean and Cyprus - often competed to send investment and aid to Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Bosnia. But Mr  Papandreou said Kosovo had proved a turning-point in relations between the two countries. Instead of bickering, both had cooperated on the humanitarian mission of moving ethnic Albanian refugees and delivering aid to the embattled Serbian province.

"It provided a perfect opportunity for Papandreou and Cem to have contact," said one of Mr Papandreou's senior aides. "Ever since, they've had regular telephone communication."

Kosovo, officials say, also prompted a round of secret contacts between the Turkish and Greek military.

The mutual change of heart gained further impetus from outpourings of popular sympathy when Turkey suffered its devastating earthquake on August 17 and Athens was struck by its own lethal quake three weeks later. Greeks were the first to send a team of rescuers to their neighbour, and the Turks responded in kind last week.

In a clear nod to the political significance of the Turkish gesture, the Greek head of state, Costis Stephanopoulos, honoured the rescue team last Friday with an emotional reception at the presidential palace in Athens.

Mr Papandreou said the reaction of both publics had sent politicians a message. That had been backed up by the support for change shown by the usually strident media in the two capitals. Last week the Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet ran the front-page headline: "Like a family in the Aegean, this friendship cannot be demolished."

"The people in their wisdom were sending a message to the political elites of both countries, that we should not only help each other but be friends," Mr Papandreou said.

"It broke the myth of the age-old animosity between the two countries, that neither Greeks nor Turks can live together, that the only thing that exists between them is hatred."

Officials from both countries have dubbed low-level talks which began in Athens last week and continue in Ankara this week "earthquake diplomacy". With attempts to capitalise on the mutual sympathy produced by the two disasters, it is now hoped they can dismantle centuries of distrust.

The talks are aimed at finding common ground in areas where the neighbours are likely to agree, such as tourism, culture, the environment, the economy and trade.

"In the past, dialogue was always avoided because our differences were perceived to be so big that there was nothing to discuss," said Theodore Couloumbis, a specialist in Greek-Turkish affairs at Athens university. "We were governed by a zero-sum mentality. Now we're both moving to a win-win strategy. Reconciliation is on the horizon."

Mr Papandreou said the discussions had already proved that "there are lots of areas where we can have mutual cooperation and mutual benefit".

He said he hoped the new climate would eventually help stimulate the solution to far bigger differences.

"Our model of behaviour should be France and Germany after the second world war," Professor Couloumbis said. "They were two deadly enemies who today have become two highly inter-dependent friends."