A Century of Greek–Turkish Relations A Handbook

Nikos Christofis · Anthony Deriziotis

Mar 2024 · Mediterranean Politics Book 8 · Transnational Press London

About this ebook

“A Century of Greek-Turkish Relations is an important handbook written by leading authorities from both shores of the Aegean Sea. Greek and Turkish scholars present in a balanced and objective way, as well as in a graspable and meaningful manner, the main periods in which key events brought the two sides into dispute or even conflict. These events, which are integrated in parallel and conflicting national narratives, fuel the historicity of the two national rivals. A century since the end of the Greek-Turkish war, the trauma of the Greek military defeat and the “disaster of the Asia Minor Greeks”, the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and the emblematic Treaty of Lausanne, render this kind of handbook undoubtedly essential. It opens the discussion to the wider audience in a rational and composed way and most importantly, the reader can follow through the pages, the dialogue between Turkish and Greek scholars. A book of this kind was missing from public history.” – Prof. Sia Anagnostopoulou, Panteion University

“As an expert on the subject of “minorities” for the past fifty years with a number of publications in Turkish, English, and French, and based on the experts that are participating in the A Century of Greek-Turkish Relations: A Handbook, there is no doubt that this will become an indispensable tool, and above all, an objective account of the Greek-Turkish relations for both experts and the wider public.” – Prof. (emeritus) Baskin Oran, Ankara University

“As editors of this important and timely book, Nikos Christofis and Anthony Deriziotis assert that uneducated narratives have perpetuated misunderstandings within Turkish-Greek relations. In their enlightening work, they dismantle these misconceptions, offering a nuanced exploration of the historical and contemporary complexities between the two nations. By featuring insights from leading experts, this book provides a crucial resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Turkish-Greek relations, presenting new historical insights and analytical viewpoints on bilateral relations.” – Prof. Evren Balta, Özyeğin University

“A comprehensive and insightful survey of Greek-Turkish relations. A number of distinguished academics have offered their expertise succeeding in the formidable task of touching upon several sensitive issues avoiding stereotypes and easy readings of problems that are burdened by history. A must read for students and experts alike.” – Prof. Sotiris Roussos, University of Peloponnese

CONTENTS

Preface – Nikos Christofis and Anthony Deriziotis

The Uses and Abuses of History in Greece and Turkey – Nikos Christofis and Kerem Öktem

The Greek-Turkish War of 1919–1922 – Charalampos Minasidis

The 1923 Greco-Turkish Population Exchange: An Assessment of its History and Long Shadow at its Centennial – Aytek Soner Alpan

Agreements and Friendship between Greece and Turkey in 1930: Multifaceted Official Nationalist Discourses and Opposing Voices – Anna Vakali

Anti-Rum Politics in Turkey, 1923-1946 – Alexandros Lamprou

“The State Will Always Pursue You”: A History of Greeks in the Republic of Turkey – Kutay Onayli

Muslim Minority of Greece: From Lausanne to the Greek Civil War – Samim Akgönül

Greek-Turkish Relations in the Shadow of World War II – Zuhal Mert Uzuner

Realpolitik with a Twist: The United States and Greek-Turkish Relations – Ekavi Athanassopoulou

Rum Polites in the Context of Turkish-Greek Relations – İlay Romain Örs

The Muslim Minority of Western Thrace, 1945-1999: A Strained Saga – Georgios Niarchos

The “Troubled Triangle”: Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, 1940s-1990s – Nikos Christofis

Greek-Turkish Relations During the Junta Regime in Greece (1967-1974) – Melek Fırat and Özge Özkoç

The Aegean Dispute – Alexis Heraclides

Greek-Turkish Relations and Civil Society: Healing the Wounds? – Leonidas Karakatsanis

Greek-Turkish Relations: The ‘Helsinki Moment’ in Greece’s Strategy to Turn the EU into A Catalyst for Conflict Resolution – Panayotis J. Tsakonas

Greek-Turkish Relations and the Refugee Question – Anthony Deriziotis

Reciprocal Minorities in Greece and Turkey: Α Century of Adversity – Konstantinos Tsitselikis

Energized Geopolitical Turmoil in the Endangered Eastern Mediterranean: Towards Anthropocene Geopolitics? – Emre İşeri

“Hawks and Romantics”: The Role of Media in Turkish-Greek Diplomatic Seesaw – Emre Metin Bilginer

“With or Without You”: Turkish-Greek Relations from the Perspective of Securitisation Theory – Başak Alpan

The Prospects and Challenges for Cooperation in Cyprus – Ahmet Sözen and Devrim Şahin

Greek – Turkish Encounters in the City: Who Meets Who in Kadıköy? – Kerem Öktem

Post-script – Anthony Deriziotis and Nikos Christofis

 

About the author

Nikos Christofis (Ph.D. Leiden, 2015) is associate professor of Turkish and Middle East history and politics at the Centre for Turkish Studies in Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’an, China; adjunct lecturer at the Hellenic Open University; adjunct lecturer at UNICAF (Cyprus); and affiliate researcher at the Netherlands Institute at Athens (NIA). He is a comparative political historian working on the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece) and the Middle East. He published more than sixty articles and book chapters in English, Greek, Turkish, Spanish, and Chinese, two monographs, and edited 9 volumes. Among his latest publications are the edited books Οι Κούρδοι της Τουρκίας: Από την Οθωμανική περίοδο έως και τις μέρες μας (with A. Deriziotis and M. Issi, University of Patras Press, 2023), and Elections and Earthquakes: Quo Vadis Turkey? (Transnational Press London, 2024); the article “Kemalism vs Erdoğanism: Continuities and Discontinuities in Turkey’s Hegemonic State Ideology” (Middle East Critique); and the book chapter “Deviating from the National Narrative: The Workers’ Party of Turkey and Cyprus” (Leiden University Press, 2023).

Anthony Deriziotis is a Lecturer on Turkey and the Middle East at the Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (since 2010), and Head of the Turkey Program of the Institute of International Economic Relations (I.D.O.S.). His research interests and publications cover Turkish domestic and foreign policy and focus on Turkey’s relations with the United States and the Middle East, and the Kurdish issue. His publications include articles in international peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, edited volumes, book editing and book reviews. In 2023 he published, together with M. Issi and N. Christofis, the volume Οι Κούρδοι της Τουρκίας: Από την Οθωμανική περίοδο έως και τις μέρες μας (University of Patras Press, 2023).