| ’Erdoðan’s words are important step’ |
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ATHENS -Despite negative reactions from opposition parties, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s definition of the expulsion of ethnic identities from Turkey as a "fascist approach" was found to be positive by some. Many Greeks who were born in Turkey but moved to Greece found Erdoðan’s words a "very important step."
One such Greek, political scientist Hercul Millas, said the most significant aspect of Erdoðan’s speech was that it contained earnest self-criticism. "I believe that the debate over the word ’fascist’ is an attempt to divert the argument to a secondary field. The word used is not that important. What is important is that a certain state policy had been criticized," he said. "A minority member that hears such a speech will make peace with his country."
Another Greek who was born in Turkey but moved to Greece is producer Akis Elmacýoðlu. He found Erdoðan’s words to be positive and courageous. "I feel like Turkey paid its dues to me. I love [the country] where I was born," he said. Elmacýoðlu added that he hoped such statements would help improve the less-than-perfect Greek-Turkish relations of the past. "We should not live in the past but look toward the future," he said.
Prodromos Kurukoðlu also found the speech to be positive and courageous for both the politics and the current situation. "It is important to tell the truth. I heard the same words from many of my Turkish friends long before Erdoðan said them. Erdoðan showed courage to say these officially," he said.
Businesswoman Hrisula Theoktistu said Erdoðan’s words were positive and that she hoped his actions would support his words. "Accepting a certain truth means the lives of Greeks living in Istanbul will get better. Erdoðan will be coming to Athens in June. These statements help create a pleasant environment before the visit," she said.
Owner of Politis daily, Pinelopi Çukatos, said unless Erdoðan’s words were aimed at winning in Turkey’s internal politics, they were very positive and were a very important step.
Erdoðan’s speech
Speaking at the Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, Düzce City General Assembly on Saturday, Erdoðan said: "People of different ethnic identities were expelled from our country. Did we win? We need to think these over, but they were not studied logically. This was in fact the result of a fascist approach."
Erdoðan’s speech is seen as a reference to the Sept. 6 and 7 events in Istanbul in 1955 when many Greek shops and houses were pillaged by crowds after false news reported that founder of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s house in the Thessaloniki neighborhood of Greece was burnt down. After the events, many ethnic Greeks, who were born and lived in Istanbul, left the city. |
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