turkish-greek civic dialogue - AEGEE Europe

To understand this, recall some recent dates in
Istanbul’s cultural diary. A book of children’s stories
by a Greek diplomat has been published in Turkish. A
Turkish folk singer, Muammer Ketencoglu, has made
haunting music with his Greek friends, one of whom is
an accomplished church chanter. Among Muammer’s
audiences was the Lausanne Treaty Foundation, a
voluntary group that brought together Turkish and
Greek historians, conservationists and literary critics
for a meeting in Istanbul. They included Turks who
deplored the dilapidation of Anatolia’s churches and
Greeks who acknowledged their country’s neglect
of mosques. Anyone following these events would
conclude that the process of segregating this region’s
component parts had finished, and a new dynamic of
cultural and political re-integration had begun.
All that, of course, was before the bombs. Will this benign process be blown
off course by terrorist attacks that were designed to stir up hatred and
polarisation? Some of the signs are encouraging: Turkey has avoided many of
the dire consequences that might have ensued, including a reversal of the
journey toward democracy and pluralism.
The success of that journey depends on cohabitation between the moderate
Islamists led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the generals who
guard Turkey’s secular state.
The relationship was tested by the bombs, with the military murmuring that
“this is what devout Islam leads to, and this is what we soldiers can deal with
best.” But Erdogan responded convincingly, insisting that his Islam has nothing
to do with violence, and that he will be tough on terror.
On balance, there is still reasonable hope that the nations and cultures of the
Aegean and south eastern Europe can reintegrate constructively rather than
disintegrate violently. At their forthcoming summit meeting, European leaders
should foster that hope, by couching their message to Turkey in upbeat terms
-stressing the positive response that liberal reforms will elicit, rather than
the dire consequences of failure. If reconciliation can be kept on track, it will
provide rich material for the filmmakers, writers and songsters of the Aegean
for years to come.
Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de L’Europe
Bruce Clark, an Adjunct Fellow at the Western Policy Center, recently began
a research sabbatical from The Economist magazine, where he has worked
since 1998 as International Security Editor, specializing in the Balkans, postcommunist
transition, trans- Atlantic relations, and peacekeeping issues.
NOTES FROM THE SYMPOSIUM
BÜLENT TANDOĞAN
Panel Session on Conversation and Preservation
of Cultural Heritage in Greece and Turkey
after the Population Exchange
The second day of the symposium was highlighted by the interesting speeches
of Greek academics. Eleni Kanetaki used slides to explain the Ottoman
structures and buildings in Greece before the 19 th century as well as the
relevant restoration-renovation attempts. She gave a very positive, promising
picture and made some suggestions on the use of the renovated buildings. On
the other hand, Nikos Agriantonis from ICOMOS stressed that this picture is not
promising at all.
Sacit Pekak gave useful information on the churches from the Ottoman times
in Cappadoccia region at the outskirts of Hasan Dağı (Argaios) accompanied by
colourful slides. Pekak mentioned that he came across with 60 stone churches
and a “mescit” (small mosque) engraved in a rock in Güzelyurt. Sinasos is
another province, where many churches still exist. The Mayor of Mustafapaşa
(Sinasos) Mustafa Özer, who is also an emigrant, is supportive for dialogue
projects. Sinasos also has a Venetian mansion built for hosting traders coming
to the region. While showing the participants the photos of the churches in the
region, Pekak highlighted that there is no inventory of the churches in question
and reminded us that the ornaments inside the churches are destroyed.
Nikos Agriantonis said “Greece officially recognises the antique heritage as
the ones built before 1830 – before the revolution in 1821. Currently Greece
has 2300 Ottoman buildings and works of art belonging to that period such as
cami, medrese, tekke (mosques, small mosques, dervish lodge).However it is
reflected as 600 in the official records of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of
Population Exchange
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