Tensions with Turkey
Since the creation of Turkey in 1923, it has had a complicated relationship with Greece, sometimes to the point of confrontation as during the 1974 Cyprus crisis, but also with moments of appeasement, as in 1999, when the two states helped each other after severe earthquakes. But the coming to power of Recep Erdoğan in 2003 in Ankara resulted in a deterioration of relations. While the old quarrels over Cyprus or border demarcation persist, new burning issues have emerged. Since the beginning of the "refugee crisis" in 2015, Greece has accused Turkey of wanting to destabilize it by letting too many migrants through. And the failed coup against Erdoğan on July 15, 2016, has made matters worse. The strongman in Ankara is indeed demanding the return of hundreds of Turkish military and political opponents hosted by Greece. But, beyond the provocative acts of both sides, it should be noted that both countries are members of NATO and that Turkey is a key economic partner for Greece (3rd client, 9th supplier). As for the two peoples, who are very close culturally, they seem to have better relations than ever... at least if one looks at the growing number of tourists: Greeks visit the Byzantine remains of Istanbul/Constantinople and Turks enjoy the beaches of Chios or Chalkidiki.
A lack of interest in the Balkans
The resolution of the twenty-seven-year-old conflict over the name of Northern Macedonia in 2018 should not make us forget that Greece has only very distant relations with its three European Balkan neighbors. Moreover, the Prespa agreement signed with Skopje, poorly digested by the majority of Greeks, cost Alexis Tsipras his post as Prime Minister in 2019. It must be said that the Greeks do not know their neighbors well, visiting them most often only to ski in Bulgaria, play at the casino on the border with Northern Macedonia and ... illegally import cannabis from Albania. As for (legal) trade, it remains low, including with Bulgaria, the only other EU member in the region. Worse, Athens is still theoretically at war with Tirana since 1941. The fact that no agreement has been signed to end this nonsense demonstrates Greece's disinterest in the Balkans. Since the end of the socialist regimes in 1991, Athens has lost many opportunities to appear as a "big brother" to its neighbors with fragile democracies. Only Thessaloniki, the former first port of the Balkans, has tried to play this role by establishing friendly relations with the former enemies of the Cold War. But this was a marginal step, undertaken by Yannis Boutaris, the atypical mayor of Greece's second city from 2011 to 2019. The new team of elected officials and businessmen who manage the city and its port seem to have other priorities. A rapprochement now seems possible only through ambitious European projects, such as the integration of Albania and Northern Macedonia into the EU. Such an initiative would have the advantage of opening up Greece, still isolated in southeastern Europe.
The Parthenon marble quarrel
It may seem anecdotal in view of Greece's serious problems since 2009, but the UK's return of the Athenian temple's friezes, pediments and metopes is a matter of national pride. Stolen by Lord Elgin in 1801-1802, the country has been demanding their return since 1832, and has always been refused by the British Museum, which owns 50% of the sculptures of Greece's most famous monument. A lesser-known conflict also exists with the Louvre, which owns three fragments of the temple's metopes. Greece may be one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to preserving its ancient heritage, but it has fallen victim to the arrogance of former colonial powers. And despite the launch of restoration work on the Parthenon in 1977 and the inauguration of the sumptuous Acropolis Museum in 2009, the British still claim that the marbles are safer at home. After all, they are the centerpiece of the British Museum, helping to attract tourists to London. The latest vexation came in 2023: while the British Museum was considering a "long-term loan" of the marbles to Greece, the British government denied any plans to return this ancient treasure. "I don't think they should go back to Greece," said Conservative Culture Minister Michelle Donelan in January 2023. "They belong in the UK, where we have been looking after them for a long time." To be continued...
The delicate equation of demography
The country is facing both a population decline and an influx of refugees. In theory, the arrival of new inhabitants should make it possible to offset the decline in births and the exodus of Greeks to Germany. This is already more or less the case, with whole sectors working thanks to foreign labour: agriculture, fishing, construction, etc. But things are not so simple. But things are not that simple. Since the 2009 crisis, the issue of immigration has brought back the old demons of far-right dictatorships, with the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn obtaining up to 10 per cent of the vote. The question also depends on the immigrants themselves: do they want to stay in Greece? For the Albanians who arrived in the 1990s, the answer is "yes," and they have proven it by quickly blending into society. But for the 10,000 Afghan, Syrian and Somali refugees who arrive in Greece every week, the answer is "no" in 92% of cases. If they stay and work here - often in inhuman conditions - it is because they have no choice, dreaming, too, of Germany or America. Thanks to the support of NGOs, the state is now trying to help some refugee families to integrate. But Greece has to find a balance at all costs in the face of the time bomb that is the financing of pensions. As the population ages, the solutions must be quick and multiple: not only integrate new inhabitants, but also bring back the young Greeks who left for Northern Europe.
