Turkey + Greece = ?

I've commented on the Turkish systemized campaign to destroy through attrition, intimidation, and murder the Christian identity of the Orthodox and Catholics still living in Turkey. Bringing His All Holiness into such an important discussion underlines the importance that the Greek government has for the Ecumenical Patriarch... or for the more jaundiced opinion it sets up a convenient roadblock to Turkish inclusion in the EU. Regardless, I'm glad the issue has gotten the visibility it deserves.

From Directions to Orthodoxy - "Greek leader makes historic trip to Turkey":

ISTANBUL: In an effort to overcome decades of mutual distrust, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis arrived Wednesday in Turkey, the first official visit by a Greek leader in almost half a century.

The three-day visit, which began in Ankara, Turkey's capital, was significant more for the fact that it happened than for any bilateral agreements it was expected to produce. It had been rescheduled three times since 2004.

The last Greek prime minister to visit Turkey was Karamanlis's uncle Constantine Karamanlis, in May 1959.

Strains in the relations were nowhere to be seen in Ankara on Wednesday, as Karamanlis walked down a red carpet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey as a marching band played the Greek national anthem.

The leaders met for more than two hours, and afterward held a news conference that was broadcast on national television in Turkey. The tone, for both leaders, was cordial.

"I believe 2008 will offer new opportunities for our countries to improve bilateral relations," Erdogan said. "I'd like to see the period ahead of us as a window of opportunity."

Historically, relations between the two countries have been fraught. They have fought four wars since Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832.

More recently, they clashed when Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus in 1974, a dispute that is still unresolved and is one of the main obstacles to Turkey's accession to the European Union. In 1996, they nearly went to war over a tiny set of uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea.

Erdogan said that Turkey, which refuses to pull its troops out of Cyprus, hoped to return to the negotiating table after elections on the island in February.

"We expect the support of my dear friend, my counterpart, Kostas," Erdogan said. "That is a step for the restart of talks."

He added: "Our goal, doubtlessly, is to resolve this issue at the negotiating table."

Relations have improved dramatically since the late 1990s, when coping with the aftermath of earthquakes in both countries drew them together. Now, diplomatic and military experts from both sides of the Aegean hold regular talks. A hotline between their air forces and armies has been set up, trade relations have boomed, and in November the two nations inaugurated a gas pipeline linking the Caspian Sea to Greece. Athens also backs Turkey's bid to join the EU.

But the rapprochement that has taken shape over the past decade has failed to resolve a string of problems. Turkey refuses to recognize Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as a religious leader of global standing. To do so, it says, would encourage separatism among religious minorities.

Karamanlis, apparently in an effort to support the church, said at the news conference that its presence in Turkey was valuable to the government. Karamanlis is scheduled to visit the patriarch in Istanbul on Thursday.

"It is an important criteria for Turkey that the center of the patriarchate is here," Karamanlis said. "I would even call it a European passport."

Attacks on Christians in Turkey have been increasing as a rising wave of nationalism sweeps the country.