Do Greek people know or care that average Turks like them and wish the best for them?
The answer is yes. Most Greek people know and believe that most Turkish people are decent friendly folk that want nothing more than be good neighbours and develop good relations.
Moreover we care if many of our neighbours wish us well and want the best for us. We would be ungrateful if we didn’t. My father always says “ingratitude is the worst sin”. The mere thought of someone wishing me well is enough to warm my heart. With my biraz türkçe I understand (correct me if I’m wrong) that when Turks say komşu, in regards to countries, they mean Greece and they don’t much use the term for other neighbouring states, and this for me is a compliment. I still remember seeing photos of some Turks who went to the streets of Istanbul to celebrate Greece getting the Euro 2004 cup.
Honestly, from the bottom of my heart and drawing from the love of Jesus, I wish and pray that Greeks and Turks come closer, develop understanding and tolerance and if at all possible be united in determination to overcome any obstacles for peace and fraternity among us. Much blood has been spilled for us to ignore the actions of the past and even worse, repeat them.
A solution to the Cyprus wound would very much help in this. I understand however that the reality of politics, greed, nationalism, finance and rooted hatred are very hard to ignore, let alone set aside, and that politicians with their ubiquitous snake like double tongue will pursue their aims no matter what. I admit that I dislike and distrust the whole Turkish government and opposition apparatus. Hey…I don’t trust our own much anyway… Trust is a hard thing to achieve on the political scene, but the every day Yiannis, Mustafa, Aişe and Maria need not drift in the same path. Praying for the day that we won’t have one arm outstretched for a handshake while we keep the other firmly on the gun.
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