by Christianna Loupa
The recently renewed website of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which we referred in the First Part of this article, alleges that the Muslim minority of Western Thrace, (“Turkish”, according to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), lives under “apartheid”, in an area - ghetto, where basic human rights are violated and restricted military zones keep covering the largest part of the region.
Provocations, nevertheless, do not stop here. In the chapter “Setting the record straight on Pontus propaganda against Turkey”, the cart is put before the horse and Greece is referred as a criminal, while Turks as the victims slaughtered and massacred by Pontians.
It seems to be necessary though, to remind the hard - core generals of the “neighbor”, what Kemal said, satisfied with the results of the ethnic - cleansing enterprise: “Finally, we removed their roots!”. Or, should we apologize yet?
One can read in the same chapter: “Though formerly an element of simple folklore, the term "Pontus", was after the events in Cyprus in 1974, loaded with ideological content with the aim of fuelling hostile feelings towards Turkey. It was contemplated by Greek policy-makers that the exploitation of the "Pontus" idea would help in their efforts to undermine the political and cultural principles on which the modern Turkish state stands and would also provide a pretext for forcing out members of the Turkish Minority from Western Thrace.
The Greek priority target is the destabilization of Turkey, presumably to be achieved by inciting assumed micro-nationalist feelings. The aim is to challenge Turkey's territorial integrity”.
In addition, Greece is said to be trying “to tarnish the image of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk” and “to deceive the world community that Turkey's history is replete with genocides and that its ideology is based on racist principles”.
As far as the genocides and Moustafa Kemal Ataturk are concerned, it is a common place I believe, that the latter was the aspirator of ethnic - cleansing and served as a model to Hitler. It is high time thus, that Turk generals, who keep turning a blind eye to genocides, stopped burying their heads ostrich - like in the sand, sweeping the facts under the carpet and recognized the massacres. Not few, besides, are the intellectuals and freely thinking people in the Republic of Turkey, sentenced under article 301 of Penal Code, because they asked their country to undertake its responsibilities.
We wonder, nevertheless, why Turkey has chosen this very moment to carry out its provocations that disturb the fragile balance between the two neighboring countries and particularly “in a period of tranquility and promotion of the Greek - Turkish dialogue”, as described by both Greek and Turkish Ministers for Foreign Affairs, in Strasbourg.
All these facts seem to be rather relevant with the participation of Greece in the South Stream natural gas pipeline project, which is considered to be the Russian answer to Nabucco pipeline. It is well known though, that the two pipelines are “opponents”, as the second - which is backed by the USA and the EU - will be transferring gas from Azerbaijan, via Turkey, to Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, ending in Austria.
The usual suspect, I think, and his spoiled child strike again!
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