This is part of an article that was published in a popular Greek newsparer. It's a representative sample of how Greek people are seeing Turks, through the years.

It took me hours to translate and maybe you will find typos in it, but it's really worth reading.

My neighbour the Turk. My neighbour the Greek.
by Theodoros Gregoriadis

The Turkish disease deplores me for about forty years now, having passed from a lot of phases and fluctuations. With recessions and elations just like the planned in advance provocative episodes.

I was a child and between the first words that I learned at the refugees’ quarter I was living in, I was distinguishing the heaviest and unknown phrases. I heard my grandparents communicating better in Turkish while my dad was also entering the discussion. It was not the memory of the Turkish language, that my grandparents maintained, forty years after their immigration. For them it was a bilingual experience. No grievous memory could prevent the Turkish-speaking dimension of their life.

In the meantime I was learning English and German from a schoolteacher that was coming to my village. In the beginning of my puberty I was laughing at the Turkish films that were played in the local cinema while, next to me people were crying with sobs, not only the refugees of my village but also the deeply rooted locals to which I owed the second version of my origin. At school I learned how great enemies the Turks were and in the ruins of the old houses I was playing “war” against the soldiers with the red 'fez'.

By the end of the 70s Turkey was for me the country of the missing people, like those 'missing' ones that their Cypriot mothers were searching for, with their photos in their hands. I was studying English literature, the invasion in Cyprus was a fact when the western culture invaded from everywhere in the student apartment of Selanik. No time for people from other religions!

Later came the army. The navy, to be accurate. And the naval forces in contrary to the landish, have as a reason of existence only to defend the country from the “hostile” neighbour. We watched the 'Sismik' and the 'Hora'. We, like them, went in and out in territorial and non territorial waters – a little difficult to engrave borders above the wavy sea! Some moment we found each other so close, that we greeted with a Turk sailor.'Could he be my enemy' I wondered. 'Is he a threat to me? Should I exterminate this kid that looks so much like me? '

There was something in that scenario I didn’t like then. Something absurd and false blew as a “meltem”.Some others were deciding for us to become enemies with those people next to us, same as today, some others, are pre-deciding for our friendship. However, no matter how many policies are engraved, how many plans are worked out, nothing can substitute the human factor: That sailor in the 'hostile' deck, that smiled, even though his smile could not be distinguished. I saw it wide. The conferences and the reasons go and come like waves and storms. The humans however constitute their constant values because the sentiments cannot be marked on a map, only in their souls.

After my military service I happened to meet the 'hostile tradition' from within. Appointed a professor in the area of Evros river. I began to travel in the East.

First stop Adrianoupolis (Edirne) that I could see before from my balcony in Orestias. I slipped in the bazars, in the hamams, in the delicious restaurants, I met all sorts of people, students, workers, people from “this” and “the other” side of Evros river’s bank. The lost East sprang up in the fairy tales of the 80s, a little anarchic, a choppy fellow, also dizzy with what it should have to face in the 'modernised' years to come. Holidays in Istanbul, in Izmir and in Ayvalik, back and forth from our islands to the Asia minor’s beaches. Friends, parties, companies, friendly or romantic meetings.

Later, the fanatic hysterias began, the bombs and the terrorism. My European selfishness protested. I got stubborn. I had the impression that they were betraying me once more. I withdrew with a dizzy speed from the EuroAsian coasts, sunk in the European vision, but each time I was visiting a European country I was feeling like wandering in a inanimate museum. Something was absent there and it was making me ache.

It was the forgotten East, the guilt of denying our other self, the nocturnal emission of the Orthodox subconscious, the minaret that was rising threateningly above the clubbing's labyrinth of the European big cities.

A little later I was drifted by another attribute which they also tried to implant to our brains, just when we discovered our alleged European self: the Balkan.

The Balkan “virus” took an epidemic form in the 90s. Finally I got tired of the Balkan states' violence and inability to reach an agreement, as well as of Wast's sneaky attitude. Deplored between Balkans and East I began to turn again, towards the second. As if it was concerning me more. Was it more Mediterranean? Was it the sea? The fate of genes? Whatever it was, I do not believe that there exists any other relationship in this world, more passionate and sick, between two cultures and religions. Two nations and two continents.

The earthquakes mobilised all those who did not have memories and genes of the East. The conflicts in the depths of the ground brought up new consciences. We, the "infected" of East, got frightened again. Wondering: “will the rest of the Greek world understand us now?” Because, I insist, the question of approach is a verbal question. For as long as visas, fake passports, arming expenses, parades, conferences, pacts of friendship and bisector lines exist, the people will be prevented from communication. Let people meet each other freely and then you will see.

Basically, now, each of the two countries, walks in it’s own road, calmly and civilized. I wish today’s single roads will turn into double-direction ones. To the East and to the West, even if they are cut somewhere in the snobbish and catechistical Europe.I believe that with some European “pollution” Turkey will review it’s old and new self. Frightened and thinking some deeper, maybe it will bend with comprehension on this small neighbour country that hurried so much to change direction once…

The opening to the world, the globalisation, perhaps will force all of us to see our genuine priorities and the real loves. And that we are not alone. Till then, however, the “dert” will be continued. Offfff beeee!

thanks sophie..enlightened us

What'r you doing Rick?!

he must have been impressed alot by the article
yeah it was a nice piece of writing... thank you sophie

Warm, touching and so true story, teaching us that we have to think by our own heads, to follow our hearts, and we will realize that there is no reason to hate any people generally.
And what a great translation! Thanks for your effort, Sophie

It is just wonderful.I am speachless because if you did not tell us it is tranlation, Sophie I would never guess.
Yes one more time we understand that we have to love each other and forget the past.Maybe our ancestors did do something wrong but where is our fault?Why we have to hate each other?
Let's love each other despite everything, my dear friends.
Thank you Sophie!

Well done dear Sophie, your efforts were well worthwhile !

My own experience is also that the best friend a Turk can find abroad is a Greek, and vice versa... They are very close.

They look alike, enjoy the same music, dance to similar tunes, have very similar food, rakı and uzo are practically identical, coffee is same, both play backgammon, both are loyal to friends, very hot blooded and fast on his feet.

Ladies of both sides are extremely intelligent and pretty! I appreciate your efforts to eradicate any existing stupid pseudo-feud.

Yasu Sophie mou!

sophie..i ll force tayyeap to give you salary..you are working harder than our foreign minister...i announce you as turkish/greece peace ambassador..

cheers(bottles of ayran r ready)

come on everybody...lets ask sophie mou'S right and she ll give party each month 2 tc members with her new salary...

Thank you Sophie I will try to find it in Greek also. Exactly our ideas! We have nothing to share with people so similar to us, so close to us. I believe that the only way to change our minds is the two people to be closer. If a Greek has a contact with a Turkish, they will feel like brothers, believe me... In fact they are the only ones who are lauphing with the same jikes with us !