What is the perception of Turkey and Turkish people in Greece? (life, cost)

[ddmhughes]

[SIZE=3]The Turkish and Greek people have one of the bloodiest rivalries in history. Before the Turks almost all of Anatolia was Greek. Greece was also ruled for about 400 years by the Turks. Is there still animosity between the two people? How do Greek people perceive Turks in general? How do the Turks perceive Greeks?[/SIZE]

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by ddmhughes

[SIZE=3]The Turkish and Greek people have one of the bloodiest rivalries in history. Before the Turks almost all of Anatolia was Greek. Greece was also ruled for about 400 years by the Turks. Is there still animosity between the two people? How do Greek people perceive Turks in general? How do the Turks perceive Greeks?[/SIZE]

I didn't bring it up in either Greece or Turkey (not being a moron), but I think there's still significant tension on a personal prejudice level, both countries. I suspect it has eased a bit in the last ten years, but it's existed for far too long to vanish overnight. It really made me sad because I liked both peoples very much.

That said, though, I wouldn't say it impacts every little thing. Our cruise ship was Greek, and while it had to pause at the Hellespont to wait for Turkish traffic control, take on a Turkish pilot and hoist Turkish colors (our captain's first name was Leonidas...bet he didn't much like that), we got in on time and our Turkish landing cards were issued without a problem. Our ship had a Turkish hostess whose job it was to arrange matters for Turkish ports of call (Istanbul and Kusadasi), and she didn't seem uncomfortable as part of the crew (which had a lot of Greeks, naturally) to me. There were classes in basic Greek and Turkish for us to attend if we wished (and I wished, of course); she taught the Turkish class and I didn't notice any petty slight like putting her class in somewhere uncomfortable. Professionalism was the case for the people we dealt with of both nationalities.

[danielsa1775]

Neither Turkish nor Greek, but travelled to both about 5 years ago, my take is their is still bit of tension. I remember it costing me a fortune (about 100 euors, including taxes) to travel about 1 hr on a ferry from Samos (Greece) to Kusadasi Turkey, and thinking at the time that it almost seemed the greeks did not want me to go their.

I undrestand that their is still some degree of political unrest between the countries over the turkish oppupation of norhtern Cyprus.

An intersting conclusion to that story was that when we got to turkey, the seperated as into 3 groups, EU citizens, non EU citizens and Americans. The EU citizens got in for nothing, the Non EU citizens 20 euros and they charged the americans 100 euros! The small number of americans with us almost all refused to pay and went back to greece. Obviously the Turkey/USA relations were not going so well at that time either.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by danielsa1775

Neither Turkish nor Greek, but travelled to both about 5 years ago, my take is their is still bit of tension. I remember it costing me a fortune (about 100 euors, including taxes) to travel about 1 hr on a ferry from Samos (Greece) to Kusadasi Turkey, and thinking at the time that it almost seemed the greeks did not want me to go their.

I undrestand that their is still some degree of political unrest between the countries over the turkish oppupation of norhtern Cyprus....

I lived in the Republic of Cyprus (i.e. the Greek part of the island) for three years.

One should bear in mind that the Turkish invasion was preceded by the steady erosion of some of the provisions put into the constitution to protect the position of the local Turkish Cypriots, there was a ten-year period of increasing terrorism and vigilanteeism preceding the invasion, and finally a coup which overthrew the legitimate government of Cyprus with the intention of uniting Cyprus to Greece, a coup supported by the military of Greece - an eventuality specifically forbidden by the constitution of Cyprus.

None of the perpetrators of the coup were ever brought to justice, and in a school on the island I saw their pictures in a public school classroom.

Cypriot Turks and Turkish Turks are quite aware that these facts are overlooked by Americans when considering the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus - and not surprisingly, they resent that. And for good reasons they are suspicious of trusting the Greek Cypriots again.

My personal experience was that Greeks and Greek Cypriots are in almost total denial of any culpability in the invasion and the continuing occupation, and have convinced themselves and their younger generation that the Greeks of Cyprus were "innocent victims" of unprovoked aggression.

On the other hand, I have to say that a fair number of Greeks and Greek Cypriots seemed want to move on and try to forge an era of more cooperation. This has been helped by the opening of the Green Line (the truce line) that divides northern and southern Cyprus, and by the Greek government beginning to actively improve the lot of the Turkish minority who live in their eastern province of Thrace. The Turkish government, however, the last I knew still has the squeeze on the Orthodox Patriarchate which is located in Istanbul, and this is an ongoing sore point...and one, which IMO, the Turks are totally at fault.

There is a lot of make-nice talk for the consumption of outsiders when the subject of the other side comes up, but it doesn't take long before the dislike comes shining through in most cases.

[grmike]

it's pretty obvious which side cyprus is on. referendums with 80, 90 % of the people wanting to join Greece, then Greece agrees and Turkey reacts responds by closing down Greek schools, discriminating against Greek communities in Turkey, forcing Greeks to give up property, forcing them out. 400 years of aggression by ottoman (muslim) rule isn't forgotten about easily either.

the hagia sofia doesn't help either.

[harrycrat]

As an...ex greek,let me tell u this..

It is hard for Americans to understand the animosity between Greeks & Turks.

Modern Greeks are mostly Turkish bastards,byproducts of slave prostitution in the 400 years of Ottoman Empire.

Logically ,they should be like brothers,cause they are brothers indeed,same father,different mother.

However,due to the ideolgy of "hellenism",Greeks are made to believe that they are ancient Greeks & the master race of the world.

So,they view Turks & ...the other nations as inferior lowlifes.

Therefore,Greeks hate everybody,Turks justifiably hate Greeks back & both nations hate ...the Americans ,because of the inferiority complex against USA & because Americans restrain Greece & Turkey from going to war with each other...

[mavrigata]

Your perception of Greeks as Turkish bastards is abysmally wrong. DNA analysis has revealed that modern Greeks have more that a direct correlation with their ancient forebears whereas you who claim to be an ex Greek is laughable, given your guttersnipe remarks. You yourself harrycrap appear to be a sad student of modern anthropology and civilisations. Your lot came from the central Asian area known as Turkistan and couldn't get along with the Great Khan. ...read some history boy and get your facts straight.

[samsonsmith8]

Every single 1 of u is judging the turks by thier government. The real turks are welcoming unlike the greeks. The get more welcoming if you actually leave the tourist areas such as Istanbul and head east towards Iran. I think its quite wierd that the Greeks arn't nice to tourists and put on fake smiles so the tourists come back. After all without tourism Greece would just collapse. And I also would expect Americans to support Greece over Turkey. Because as soon as those dumbass American s hear that Turkey is mainly Muslim they are quick to judge. Turkey has a wonderful and vibrant culture Greece does to. But to really experience a vibrant culture untouched by western culture head to eastern turkey or even Iran.

[Bettafish]

Do Turkish people consider Uyghurs in China their relatives? I know the other way round is true.