Turkish-Greek Relations: Rapprochement, civil society and the politics of friendship 2013039179, 9780415730457, 9781315848228

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Turkish-Greek Relations

Turkish-Greek relations are marked by a long trajectory of enmity and tension. This book sets out to explore the 'other side' of that history, focusing on initiatives that have promoted contact between the two societies and encouraged rapprochement. Presenting a new critical re-description of TurkishGreek rapprochement processes over a lengthy time span (1974-2013), Turkish-Greek Relations offers innovative explanations for the emergence of the reconciliation movement. Instead of lineal continuities, the book explores different routes that these efforts for rapprochement have followed, reflected in the divergent visions of a 'Turkish-Greek friendship' pursued by actors as distinct as radical leftists, civil society activists, local government representatives, artists and liberal intellectuals, as well as journalists, politicians and businesspersons. Drawing on political discourse theory and social anthropology, this book employs extensive archival research into Turkish and Greek sources, significant numbers of interviews with pioneers of the rapprochement movement, and an original ethnographic study, to examine the competing claims for 'Greek-Turkish friendship'. In doing so, it is possible to assess their successes and failures, prospects and predicaments. A valuable addition to existing literature, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of International Relations, Peace and Reconciliation Studies, and Politics. Leonidas Karakatsanis is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the British Institute at

Ankara (BIAA). He has researched and published on issues related to the politics of identity and reconciliation, civil society, minority rights, immigration and theories of qualitative methods in social and political sciences.

Routledge Advances in Mediterranean Studies

Women and Knowledge in the Mediterranean

Fatima Sadiqi Turkish-Greek Relations

Rapprochement, civil society and the politics of friendship Leonidas Karakatsanis

Turkish-Greek Relations Rapprochement, civil society and the politics of friendship

LONDON

Leonidas Karakatsanis

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LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, axon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 Leonidas Karakatsanis

The right of Leonidas Karakatsanis to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Karakatsanis, Leonidas. Turkish-Greek relations: rapprochement, civil society and the politics of friendship / Leonidas Karakatsanis. (Routledge advances in Mediterranean studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Turkey-Relations-Greece. 2. Greece-Relations-Turkey. I. Title. DR479.G8K37 2014 327.4950561009'04-dc23 2013039179

ISBN: 978-0-415-73045-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-84822-8 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Taylor & Francis Books

Dedicated to the memory of Pelli Kefala-Karakatsani for her heritage of intellectual passion, and to Ilias Karakatsanis for his unconditional love and support.

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Contents

List of illustrations Preface: on repetition Acknowledgements Acronyms and abbreviations

Introduction: 'Turkish-Greek friendship' reiterated

Vin

x XVI XIX

1

PART I

Spectres of the 'Left'

33

1

Comrades, democrats, friends ... shared spectres

35

2

Radicalising rapprochement: 'friendship' through struggles

61

3

Frontiers in differance: political and spatial proximities on the Aegean coast

81

4

An uncanny spectre? Haunting friendship(s), haunting responsibilities

105

PART II

Towards a 'civil society' of friendship?

137

5

Aspect dawning, cultural extimacy and the (anti)politics offriendship

139

6

'Friendship' as an empty signifier: (e)merging political grammars

175

7

A 'civil society' of friendship: between excitement and boredom

195

Appendix: concise information on rapprochement initiatives Phonetic guidelines Bibliography Index

226 248

251 275

Illustrations

Tables 0.1 'Friendship' and pairs of conflict. Web hits comparative table 0.2 'Friendship', 'rapprochement', 'cooperation'. Web hits comparative table 7.1 Greek official development assistance (ODA) to Turkey, 2001-2009 7.2 List of town twinning initiatives

23 26 206 213

Figures 0.1 'We call it Greek' - 'I do not forget' campaigns of the 1970s in Greece 1.1 'Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean Region' conference, Athens, 1978 1.2 'People of Greece and Turkey are brothers', Bursa, 1980 1.3 Friendship through music: Z. Livaneli, M. Theodorakis, M. Farantouri 2.1 Solidarity rally in Athens in the aftermath of the coup d'etat in Turkey 2.2 Turkish refugees protest in Athens in 1983 2.3 Cover of EAMLET's booklet on Cyprus 3.1 Meeting of members of the Greek and the Turkish Left at the Dikili Peace Festival, 1990 3.2 Dikili Peace Festival, 1988 3.3 Common environmental protest for the Aegean, 1993 3.4 Chios-