SPECIAL REPORT - There are reasons why Filis says the GENOCIDE of Greek Pontians never took place

By Marina Spanos

Editor in Chief HellasFrappe 

Famed philosopher George Santayana once said that "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Over the last one hundred years our world witnessed the Holocaust, countless wars and the genocide of millions of people. All these events noted above occurred in a short period proving that remembrance alone is not the issue, the aim is to stare at the root causes that led to these mass atrocities and raise awareness about them so that they will not be repeated.

As of today, the Greek Minister of Education Nikos Filis can be considered a persona non grata. During an interview on STAR channel late on Monday night, Filis refuted the occurrence of the GENOCIDE of the Greeks from Pontus which we all know involved the slaughtering of well over 350,000 thousand innocent men, women and children. He instead said that the butchering of the Greeks in the Black Sea region by brutal Ottoman Turks was simply a case of ethnic cleansing rather than genocide.

     "I said that as a historian, considering the positions of many historians and international relations experts. We made a distinction between bloody ethnic cleansing and genocide as a phenomenon. This does not mean that we do not recognize the blood, pain and everything that Pontic people have suffered due to the cruelty of Turks. But genocide, as a strictly scientific term, is something different," said Filis.

During the interview he noted that this was his personal opinion, because, as he so eloquently noted, he did not want to impose his personal opinion as a state policy. What a laugh. He thinks we are totally oblivious to history, as well as his party’s sins on this subject (which will be disclosed further below).

His opinion was obviously not received well, and many people took offense to his words and for good reason. So why is all of Greece so angry at him today? For one, his comments are aligned to those of the Turkish government which does not recognize any genocides (Greek, Armenian and Assyrian). Most importantly it is against Greek national interests.

What is worse is that there are already some reports circulating on the web today saying that he even did Ankara a diplomatic favor by saying this.

(If this fact alone does not ignite a nerve in you, then I really do not know what would. Personally I viewed it as a direct provocation and my nerves skyrocketed.)

In my opinion he repeats the views which have already been expressed by other neocon Greeks such as Maria Repoussi (former MP for DIMAR). Some may recall that a couple of years ago she attempted to make us believe that the massacre of Greeks in Asia Minor, or Smyrna, was nothing more than a gathering at a Turkish port. This scandalous view was even documented in school text books. Thankfully the textbooks stopped being circulated but her views and attempts to push her interpretations of history as truths never did. Not only did she provoke our sentiment in the past when she walked out of the Greek parliament when they held a moment of silence over the Greeks who perished in these genocides, but she has also proposed that Greeks forget about other historical events too!

An anti-Hellene by nature, Mrs. Repousi believes that Greeks should ignore commemorating the exodus of Missolonghi, they should also stop celebrating the Battle of Spetses (with the blowing up the Armata), totally ignore the events at Kougi and she also  believes that we should stop hailing the Revolutionary Flag of Agia Lavra when we commemorate Independence Day on March 25th.  This progressive neocon thinker, and pro-Turkey voice, says that all these commemorations and celebrations are "banal" and "nationalistically cheap", and adds that they provide nothing to our national expression as Greeks. (Read relevant story by clicking HERE)

Filis, just like Repoussi, forget that they both serve (served) the Greek Parliament of which has officially recognized this historical event as a GENOCIDE and  designated May 19 as an annual day of remembrance. Specifically, the decree was published in the Greek Government Gazette on March 8, 1994 and affirmed the genocide in the Pontus region of Asia Minor. A second decree followed affirming the genocide of Greeks in Asia Minor as a whole and designated September 14th as a day of commemoration. Both these laws were signed by the President of the Republic, however, they were not immediately ratified because of political interventions from (SURPRISE SURPRISE) SYRIZA's very own Avgi newspaper. (source Wikipedia )

Don't take my word for it, check out the information for yourself on Wikipedia: It notes that the SYRIZA Leftist newspaper "Avgi" had the initiative for freezing the application of this law. At the time, the subject became the center of a political debate between various Greek politicians, with the left being against it. The president of the left-ecologists coalition Synaspismos party Nikos Konstantopoulos and A. Elefantis, known for his books on the history of Greek communism, were some of the politicians who expressed their opposition to the decree. It should be noted that SYRIZA's previous title was Synaspismos.

Thankfully, not all Lefitsts agreed with their rhetoric. The non-parliamentary left-wing nationalist intellectual and author George Karabelias bitterly criticized Elefantis and others who opposed the recognition of genocide and called them "revisionist historians". He even accused the Greek main-stream left of a "distorted ideological evolution". He said that for the Greek left May 19 is a "day of amnesia". On its part, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has over the last decade adopted the term "Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus" in its official newspaper Rizospastis and since then it even participates in memorial events.

Therefore there is no room for excuses about so called "opinions" because we now know the stance that the SYRIZA party has had in the past on this very subject.

In any case, Filis and all of the SYRIZA party, have pledged an oath to respect the decisions of the Greek parliament. He should keep in mind that when he speaks he is not representing himself, his party's distorted ideological views, or the people who only voted for him, but he is instead representing the government of all of the Greek people (Pontian Greeks included).

As such, I decided that this would be another teachable moment, both for Repoussi and Filis, as well as all those who live in a make believe world that wants us to paint visions of sugar plums and rainbows when we refer to Turkey and its past crimes.

credit Wikipedia

     "According to various sources the Greek death toll in the Pontus region of Anatolia ranges from 300,000 to 360,000. Estimates for the death toll of Anatolian Greeks as a whole are significantly higher, a team of American researchers found in the early postwar period that the total number of Greeks killed may approach 900,000 people. Political scientist Adam Jones also suggests the figure of 750,000 casualties. Scholar Rudolph Rummel compiled various figures from several studies to estimate lower and higher bounds for the death toll between 1914 and 1923. His estimates ranged from 289,000 to 459,000 deaths in the Greek genocide throughout this period. According to the figures by the Greek government together with the Patriarchate, a total of one million people were estimated to be massacred. Source Wikipedia


THE FACTS

According to Wikipedia, in December 2007 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution (with an "overwhelming" majority) affirming that the 1914–23 campaign against Greeks who lived in the Black Sea region constituted GENOCIDE. Employing the term "Greek Genocide", it affirmed that this population of Greeks were subject to GENOCIDE alongside other groups, namely Armenians and Assyrians. The resolution was adopted on December 1, 2007 and the press release issued by the organization on December 16.

Greek communities began inhabiting Anatolia (Greek for “east”), otherwise referred to as the Asia Minor, since the 12th century BCE. Wikipedia notes that the Turks migrated into Anatolia over the first millennium CE and by the 14th century had established the Ottoman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_genocide

     "The Pontic people lived in Turkey for well over 3000 years and are descendants of Greek colonists who arrived there long before the ancestors of present day Turks. The Turks, under the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, pursued a deliberate policy of "Turkey for the Turks." It was adopted against the backdrop of the Greek occupation of parts of Asia Minor as spelled out in the Treaty of Versailles. Its purpose was to rid Turkey of its Greek, Armenian and Assyrian Christians. The resulting Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922 and the defeat of the Greek Army sounded the death knell for Christian minorities in Turkey. The process began with Christian owned businesses being boycotted, leading to bankruptcies and confiscation of property.  Eventually intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up and executed."

Surprisingly Wikipedia also notes the methods that were used in the massacres.

      "One of the methods used in the elimination of the Greek population was the "labor battalions. Young people were captured and forced to do exhausting slave labor by the Turkish State, in order to reconstruct areas destroyed during the war. Some were sent to concentration camps and amongst the survivors was the well known writer, Elias Venezis, who later described his experiences in his book 'Number 31328.' Thousands died of exhaustion, starvation and dehydration on forced marches. This effective method was used by the Turks  to force the weaker population, including women and children, to walk for hundreds of kilometers until they died. This was known as the 'Light Death.'
If you think that these events were not recorded then think again. They were documented by American, as well as the German and Austrian diplomats of the time.
       "Unlike Germany which has taken responsibility for its sins committed in World War II, Turkey still refuses to even admit that these events occurred, let alone apologize for the genocide and ethnic cleansing it inflicted on a helpless population. Not only were the people expunged from Turkey, so too were any traces of their existence. Admitting guilt would entail casting a shadow on Kemal Ataturk. The present Turkish government has gone to extraordinary lengths to quash any attempt to publicize these events throughout the world, including keeping their own people ignorant of their history. To do so would require a reexamination of the very foundation on which the modern Turkish State is built." (Source - The Pontic Greek Genocide)"

HOW TURKS CONTINUE TO COMMIT GENOCIDE TILL THIS DAY

Today some attempt to rewrite history. Usually this is done by those with a political agenda in a winner take all approach (example George Soros). All they are basically doing is picking up where the perpetrators of a GENOCIDE left off. We can actually see this happening in the mainstream media, through the rhetoric from various neocon scholars, historians and deep thinkers. Not only are all these people in service of the Turkish government, which on its part continues to dehumanize, demonize, and destroy, by putting the "right spin" on all the events that haunt it, they are also distorting history and passing off their interpretations of history as facts.

No matter how much they try they cannot rewrite history itself, however their goal is more sinister. By repeating their lies and propaganda over and over again they hope that their views will eventually be adopted by the masses as the only truth. A fine example of this is FYROM. George Soros worked his magic in this former Yugoslav state and today all those under the age of 20, or since the destabilization of Yugoslavia, actually believe that they are direct descendants of Alexander the Great.

Everyone with half a brain knows that the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian genocides, were perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. Even the Kurds, who were once active participants and abetted this genocide with the Ottomans (mostly against Assyrians), have today admitted this fact and now condemn this time in history. Unfortunately they, as well as other Muslim groups in the East, now find themselves in a reversal of roles and have become the target of draconian Turkish policies that are designed to suppress their identity and language. Let us not forget that this is exactly what was done to all of the Greeks who miraculously remained in some parts of Turkey.

For Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians, the genocide has not ended, and it cannot end so long as Turkey denies that it ever occurred. This is why Ankara has spent billions on influencing Western diplomats and officials to look the other way, or basically keep silent on this matter.

Has it worked?

Yes it has!

The West, (with the exception of Australia, Cyprus and very few other countries), has surrendered to this decades old denial of the Turkish government deciding that it is more important to placate the neo-Ottomans than to be truthful about history. It is no secret that they have adopted this policy on account of economic, military and geopolitical reasons. Let us not forget that the US has a huge airbase in Turkey that they need for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From what we read Turks have threatened to close that base, cancel purchases of American military equipment, boycott American goods and even pass their own resolution condemning 19th century US government massacres of Native Americans (if the US ever did recognize any of these GENOCIDES.

Unfortunately there are other more controversial reasons as well.

A couple of years ago, Turkey was awash in dramatic disclosures connecting officials there to the right-wing Grey Wolves, the terrorist band which has preyed on the region for years. In 1981, a terrorist from the Grey Wolves had even attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in Vatican City.
Did Turkey allow the mafia and right-wing extremists to operate death squads and to smuggle drugs with impunity? This I cannot answer dear Frappers, but reports at the time (check link below) claim that the rupture of such state secrets also released clues to other major Cold War mysteries.

     "Besides the attempted papal assassination, the Turkish disclosures could shed light on the collapse of the Vatican bank in 1982 and the operation of a clandestine pipeline that pumped sophisticated military hardware into the Middle East — apparently from NATO stockpiles in Europe — in exchange for heroin sold by the Mafia in the United States." (source https://syria360.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/gladio-on-the-trail-of-turkeys-terrorist-grey-wolves/ )

Do you think that operations such as those noted above died with the fall of the Soviet Union? Apparently they didn't; Operation Gladio B is the continuation of the old NATO Gladio program and geopolitical analysts claim that it covers a tangled web of covert operatives, billionaire Imams, drug running, prison breaks and terror strikes. The same officials believe that the ultimate goal is the destabilization of Central Asia and the Caucasus. You can probably find out more about this subject by just googling Gladio B on the web.

(Also, search and see how this coincides with what is happening in Syria with all the foreign rebels operating there. You will be surprised to learn that history is once again repeating itself.)

I personally am clueless on such operations, because I cannot tolerate any type of violence, but the little that I have read notes that Turkey is once again using such operations to continue its barbarism and genocidal acts in Syria. One recent article that was posted on the web and supports my argument is an interview by Taleb Ibrahim (check link in this paragraph). According to him Turkey's T.Erdogan is displacing people in Syria. Does the tactic sound familiar to the events endured by the Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians one hundred years ago? It is! He says that the so called rebels, (who we all know now are foreigners that are paid by countries such as Qatar, S.Arabia and Turkey to destabilize this country) are "cleansing" many areas in Syria while Turkey is shipping thousands of Islamist Turks from other Turkish lands there to settle, take over entire villages and eventually bring down the Syrian government of Bashir Assad. In a few words, he reveals how Erdogan is pushing Syrians out of Syria and changing the demographics of this country from Arabs to Islamist Turks (by using ISIS to perform GENOCIDE). Why is he doing this? Aside from his dreams of reviving a new Ottoman empire he is also acting on behalf of many interests that cannot perform these acts because they are acts of war! Even wars have rules and ethnic cleansing, or in this case GENOCIDE, cannot be committed and is considered as a war crime. (View VIDEO by clicking HERE).


THE BOTTOM LINE

How can such psychological wounds be healed if a crime is never acknowledged by the perpetrator? To survive ordeals such as a genocide, or to lose your loved ones to such senseless violence, has an undeniable effect on the shaping of one’s character, personality, and general life experiences. Genocide is a grave matter and exemplifies the absolute worst in, or shows its perpetrators to be devoid of, humanity. If Greek government officials are permitted to dismiss these acts, then genocide is trivialized, and a vicious cycle ensues. So now do you understand why we decided to slam the statements by Mr. Filis?

Friends, the plight of the Greeks of Pontus, just like the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922, are events that shaped modern Greek History and that speak to the hearts of all Greeks. The only thing that Pontians want is that the world will come to know of their tragic fate. Those who deny these events, as Filis and Repoussi have done, only help countries such as Turkey to repeat such atrocities again (example Syria).

As with the Armenian Genocide, Filis and Repoussi and all Greek neocons opposing the recognition of the Greek Genocide of Asia Minor, attempt to shift focus away from the unfathomable reality of the historical event by portraying the issue as one of nationalism and ethnic conflict rather than of healing and remembrance.

I think prominent U.S. scholar and author of “Black Dog of Fate” Professor Peter Balakian said it best when he stated:

     "the driving force behind the renewed awareness of Turkey’s Greek holocaust transcends nationality and ideology: this is not about ethnic conflict, Greek vs. Turk or Armenian vs. Turk, this is about universal moral issues and universal human rights issues... Clearly, denying genocide paves the way for future genocide, for it suggests to the world that governments can commit mass murder with impunity.”

My personal feelings about Alexis Tsipras’ government are irrelevant at this point because the facts speak volumes. No government official has a right to express his or her “opinion" on historical facts which have shaped borders and are still considered as fresh wounds by the Greek people. When they make statements –whatever these statements may be- they are speaking as an entity, or a government. If they want to express their personal views then they should get out of office and write a book. To deny historical facts is not only an attack on the morale of the Pontians, who till this day live with this bloody memory, but it is an affront to the dignity of all the victims, both living and dead.

Thankfully I am not alone with these views, many ministers from all parties criticised Filis’ statements as did a score of people from all walks of life on the social networks. The main opposition New Democracy party even organized a petition demanding his removal from office as did Pontian Greek associations.

The Greek Left, especially SYRIZA, now has a chance to rehabilitate its past and correct the mistakes that it once made on this issue by unequivocally recognizing that what befell on the Greek populations in Turkey was GENOCIDE as defined by the 1948 United Nations Convention on The Prevention and Punishment of The Crime of Genocide. If the government wants to save face then it must immediately scream out the word GENOCIDE, force Filis to apologize to the Pontian people, and then ask him to resign.

I will repeat it once again, refusing to say the word GENOCIDE because it will sour Turkey is just another form of aggression and simply allows Ankara to continue with the process of genocide. Most importantly, it prevents the healing of wounds that were inflicted by the GENOCIDE on our people, kills the dignity of the remaining survivors and destroys the remembrance of this tragic crime.

A couple of days ago I announced that I would not be posting any articles on HellasFrappe because the blog has not received any donations to maintain itself. Following the latest comments by Filis, I decided to wave this decision and write a special report to voice my opinion on his statements because -as always- when something tugs at my heart, heats up my nerves and provokes my logic I react immediately. As I was researching the material used in this article I came across this video which was posted by a Greek analyst who is an expert on Turkish affairs and then re-posted on facebook by a Frapper. It features a famed Turkish performer singing about the plight of the Pontian people. This should put some neocon Greeks to shame since they regrettably want us to forget, while some Turks, who know the truth, have the courage to even sing it out loud. (Please listen to the words).

NOTES

• The genocide of the eastern Christians of the city of Smyrna in 1922 as researched and documented by Professor M. H. Dobkin (source)
• EXPOSED: The REAL cause of the sudden Syrian migrant crisis into Europe
• Operation Gladio - http://operation-gladio.net/counter-guerilla and http://operation-gladio.net/tags/turkey
• The Ottoman Greek Genocide by Malini Nair, Rachel Steinberg and Gina Montegna - https://prezi.com/swim4wlp69mt/ottoman-greek-genocide/
• In Commemoration of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus - http://www.notevenmyname.com/3.html
• When Greeks Think about Turks: The View from Anthropology - https://books.google.gr
• Genocide Watch - http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutus/thecostofdenial.html
• Action alert - http://www.ahmp.org/gkgen.html

Greek crisis prompts FYROM to push for NATO membership

Greece’s growing political and economic problems have its small neighbor FYROM sensing an opportunity to push hard for joining NATO, a move that has been stalled for years thanks to Athens’ opposition because of disputes over FYROM’s name.

Defense Minister Zoran Jolevski told POLITICO his country would be prepared to apply to join NATO using the ungainly name “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,” which is insisted on by Greece.

     “All NATO member countries recognized that Macedonia had by that point met the NATO membership criteria,” said Jolevski. “Unfortunately our southern neighbor added one more criterion to that summit, the name.”

Greece argued that its northern neighbor should instead be called New Macedonia or Upper Macedonia, whereupon Macedonia sued Greece at the International Court of Justice and won in 2011. But its moment had passed.

The alliance’s formal position is that the country “has to find a mutually acceptable solution with Greece to the issue over its name before it can be invited to join NATO.” But with Greece in meltdown, FYROM sees a chance to break the stalemate by announcing that it’s willing to join NATO as FYROM, while pointing out that its forces have served alongside NATO forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Read more at: Politico

PROVOCATION: McCain Says FYROM should join NATO as "Macedonia" (VIDEO)

In a flat out provocation against Greece, US Senator (and well known war-monger) John McCain on the weekend suggested that FYROM should refer to itself as as it sees fit, meaning as "Macedonia", and left it to be understood that it can do so by disrespecting international treaties, laws as well as Greece!

More specifically, while answering a journalist's question at the GLOBSEC convention in Bratislava, Slovakia, on whether or not FYROM should join NATO, together with Montenegro, he said that “both countries fulfill the criteria but (FYROM) Macedonia [sic] is obstructed by Greece because of the name issue”.

     “My personal opinion is that the name of the country is up to people of the country and that decision is made by the people of the country, not by any other country, including Greece”.

In other words, Mr. McCain blames Greece for FYROM's exclusion from NATO, never once taking into consideration that the name that this country has chosen to call itself violates international treaties. The correct name of this republic is Vardaska, and whether some want to accept it or not this is what is stipulated in the interim agreement and it must be respected. If not, then why do we have the United Nations for? The American defence industry cannot dictate to the Greek people what name FYROM will have, because anyway they cut it, shape it and serve it, Macedonia is, was and will always be Greek!

These are the words of American Senator John Mc Cain (Republican), former soldier, presidential candidate (2008) and a member of the Senate of USA. Let us keep in mind that Mr. McCain is a loud voice for the American defence industry and someone who who all know -from the evidence in the press- has close ties with the barbarians who call themselves the moderate "Free Syrian Army" (but who we all know are far from being moderate). Indicative are the three reports, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

HellasFrappe understands why Mr. McCain would advocate for FYROM. We realize that he wants NATO to have more clients to sell its defence systems, but this does not give him any right to state his opinion on delicate foreign affairs. Shame on him for disrespecting Greek history, the Greek people and the nation of Greece. FYROM has a duty to respect the interim agreement of 1996 and any action to bi-pass this agreement will only hold repercussions against the neighboring country. HellasFrappe also hopes that the American Diaspora takes McCain's words into consideration when they head for the polls in the next US elections.

PROVOCATION: Smugglers hand out brochures to immigrants on Turkish coast titled "Welcome to Greece!" (PICS)

The illegal trafficking of people into Greece is more or less known. Every day new evidence comes to light exposing this illegal activity and the international circuits who conveniently exploit pleasant terms such as "humanitarian aid" and "human rights" to continue with business as usual. It is an indisputable fact that there is a plan to destabilize Europe with the inflow of all these people, and especially the countries in the Southern Mediterranean. It is also a multi-billion dollar industry that is making our neighbor, Turkey, very wealthy.

The trafficking of illegal immigrants into Greece does not concern spontaneous floods of "persecuted refugees" since all these people sail from the Turkish coastline where there is no war at all. It is rather about a system that has a state "signature" and reaps in huge profits for the Turkish Coast Guard and other such authorities.

Let us not forget that many of those disguised as illegal immigrants could possibly be dangerous criminals who mix within the crowds.

It was recently revealed that brochures titled "Welcome To Greece" were handed out to masses of illegal immigrants, that were getting set to cross illegally into Greece. The scandalous brochure (seen in the pictures above), depict an immigrant who has just crossed illegally into Greece facing the sunrise.

Keep on reading... This only gets better!

Inside the brochure, according to the military news site defencenet which exposed this story, are phrases in Greek with an explanation in English so that the user (or illegal migrants) can know a couple of phrases before they land on Greek soil.

What is interesting and certainly worth noting, is that this brochure is being distributed on Turkish territory and this is very important because it means that this is being conducted with the collaboration of Turkish authorities. Don't expect the present government to investigate this provocation because it has clearly advocated for an open door policy as far as illegal immigrants are concerned.

According to defencenet, the brochure belongs to an international "anti-racist" organization, which provides illegal immigrants with information and guidelines on how not to give their fingerprints in the various countries they travel on to, but only to Greek authorities so that if they ever get caught, they can once again be returned Greece.

The brochure also provides illegal immigrants with information on where all the detention centers are located, various types of Greek legislation, contact information for legal counseling, etc.

The present government is obligated to investigate this claim thoroughly and at the same time alter its policy on the flow of illegal immigrants into Greece, because if it doesn't then we can safely assume that they too are aiding and supporting international trafficking.

Reference in Greek - defencenet

Commemoration of Distomo massacre

The village of Distomo in central Greece on Wednesday commemorated the 71st anniversary of the WWII massacre, in the presence of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Parliament President Zoi Konstantopoulou and Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos.

On June 10, 1944 nazi troops stormed the village and killed 218 men, women and children.

Earlier, the mayors and representatives of cities and villages of Greece which suffered mass murders during WWII expressed in a meeting their will to continue maintaining the memory of the massacres "out of duty and honour to those assassinated."

Their joint board named "Greek Holocausts" which claims war reparations said it will cooperate with the National Council and expressed its support for the relevant initiatives taken by the Parliament and the Greek government.

Quite shockingly, Amnesty International -a Soros-backed organization- demanded justice for the massacre in Distomo. In a press statement it underlined that the victims and their families are still denied justice and reparations.

The chief of Amnesty International in Greece Giorgos Kosmopoulos argued that as of 1907 the victims of war crimes have had the right to claim reparations from States that committed the atrocities. Amnesty International supports the right to reparations for war crimes and claims that States should not be allowed to block the civil action launched by the victims of war crimes in foreign courts, when they have no other recourse.

In the case of Distomo, survivors and families of the victims filed a claim against the German state and in 2000, the Supreme Court in Greece ratified a 1997 court ruling that reject Germany’s immunity claim and ordered that reparations be paid out. The Greek Minister of Justice at the time though refused to enforce the ruling.

The plaintiffs filed a suit against Greece and Germany at the European Court of Human Rights, which accepted Germany’s claim and threw out the case in 2002. The plaintiffs however were successful via the Italian courts. Once again, Germany refused to pay out reparations and appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, claiming that Italy had violated its immunity.

The International Court confirmed Germany’s immunity for the crimes committed by its armed forces in Italy and Germany during the Second World War and admitted that its decision may avert war crime victims from claiming and receiving reparations. It noted though that these claims could be further negotiated between Germany and Italy, in order to resolve the matter. Amnesty International responded that the ICJ’s decision was a major ‘setback for rights’ and noted that so far and to its knowledge there have been no negotiations.

Mr. Kosmopoulos commented that “while there should not be any state immunity for war crimes, we believe that the negotiations that will provide reparations and ultimately a sense of justice to the victims and their families must begin immediately”.

Lafazanis Tells US: Choice to support Russian natural gas pipeline is beneficial for Greece

Greece is not a plot and cannot be blackmailed, nor does it believe that with its choices in the energy sector can become "part of a problem", stated Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis in response to statements from US Department of State coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hoschstein in regards to Greece's stance on a proposed Russian natural gas pipeline.

During the 31st convention of the International Coordinating Committee "Justice for Cyprus" (PSEKA), Hochstein demanded that the construction of the gas pipeline from Turkey to Greece be stopped. He claimed that the pipeline would undermine alternative plans to supply energy resources to Europe and increase reliance on Russia.

     "We are dealing with the energy crisis in Europe. If Greece continues to promote a pipeline for supplying Russian natural gas to Europe, it will be part of the problem, not a solution," Hochstein said.

According to him, Central and Eastern European countries buy gas from only one supplier, but now it is possible to diversify shipments and "Greece would play a major role" in the diversification.

Lafazanis was quick to reply:

     "On the contrary, our choice to support a pipeline carrying Russian gas on Greek territory is nationally and economically beneficial (for Greece) and gives positive solutions for cooperation, sufficiency in energy and the safety of the region and Europe. Greece is following a new independent and multidimensional energy policy with the ambition to make the country a multilateral energy hub within which will be allocated and distributed the routes and the natural gas origin sources without exclusions and neo Cold War prejudice. The new emerging independent Greece is a source of stability, safety and trust for all peoples. A force that shows a different way for peace, progress, justice and relations of equality among all countries." 

Earlier in May, on a visit to Athens, Hochstein had apparently voiced his opposition to the construction of the new gas pipeline. At the time Lafazanis had once against said that the project would serve Greece’s national interests.

Note on PSEKA conference: Greek-American and Cypriot-American leaders from across the United States representing major national and local organizations of the community gathered in Washington, DC for the 31st Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference June 3-5. The Government of Cyprus was represented by the Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Issues and Overseas Cypriots Photis Photiou. The conference was held to show the importance Cyprus can play as a strategic partner of the United States, in a volatile area and influence high-level administration officials who formulate U.S. policy toward Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.

Editor's Note: We are not fans of SYRIZA, and especially Mr. Lafazanis but we applaud him for his stance and courage. Greece has every right to make its own decisions that are beneficial to the country's national interests. Because of our geo-strategic position, many foreign interests have never allowed Greece to accelerate and develop its energy industry. This was about to change in 2007 with former conservative leader Costas Karamanlis when he foresaw the tsunami that was coming and decided to steer Greece towards the East. As such, China made a huge investment in Greece and today the Piraeus port can challenge other major ports in Europe. He also listened to his long-time advisor and veteran diplomat Petros Molyviatis and strengthened relations with Moscow with the aim of making Greece an international energy hub. Unfortunately we all know what happened to him. His government was toppled from the inside from various conservative hawks (D.B) and from American puppet George Papandreou, he was discredited and made to look incompetent and there was even an attempt to assassinate him. It takes courage to say NO to the West. Until now only Costas Karamanlis was able to say NO on the issue of FYROM, Cyprus and the Grey Zones in the Aegean. Let us hope that Lafazanis will follow suit. If you want to find out more about the manner in which the US has been pressuring Greece over the past few years to abandon its energy ambitions with Russia because of its own interests, and what happened when Karamanlis decided to say NO to the West then please click HERE.

Provocative Comments by US Ambassador to Cyprus Spark Strong Reaction

By George Psyllides (Cyprus Mail) - The Cyprus government on Wednesday said a statement by US Ambassador John Koenig that he did not see the Cyprus problem as one of invasion and occupation was unacceptable and only served to create problems in the ongoing dialogue.

     “It disregards and fully contravenes historical events,” government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said. “Such statements create problems in the ongoing dialogue, and to a considerable extent, it is statements like these that for years have hindered progress in the Cyprus problem.”

Asked if the government intended to protest to the US, Christodoulides said: “the ambassador was expressing his personal positions; despite this, yes, the matter will be discussed with the American government.”

Koening made the comment during an open discussion at the University of Cyprus on Wednesday evening.

When one student brought up the issue of Turkish troops and settlers in Cyprus, Koenig said the US certainly did not support the occupation of another country, nor did it condone the practice of settling.

     “The Cyprus conflict of course began 51 years ago and in that context of course it took a huge and tragic turn in 1974, and I am not in any way justifying what happened then, but it cannot be reduced to a problem of invasion and occupation,” he said. “That is in fact to ignore your own history. But I do not regard the Cyprus problem as a problem of invasion and occupation. If you don’t like it, I can’t help it. I do not regard that as the core of the Cyprus problem.”

He then pointed out that the Greek Cypriot view was not necessarily shared by Turkish Cypriots and urged an honest inward glance as to why that might be. The ambassador was referring to the inter-communal strife that broke out on the island three years after independence.

The main clashes started in December 1963 although there had been violent incidents between the two communities even before the British gave up control of the island. The violence started after Archbishop Makarios proposed 13 amendments to the constitution, ostensibly to make it more functional following a deadlock in parliament caused by the vetoes of Turkish Cypriot legislators. There was disagreement and the Turkish Cypriots left their posts – they say they were forced out – in parliament and the government. By 1974, much of the island’s Turkish Cypriot population was living in enclaves, which started forming after 1963.

As expected, the ambassador’s statement infuriated Greek Cypriot political parties. House President Yiannakis Omirou described it as a “monument to insolence” and an “affront to American foreign policy”.

Main opposition AKEL said the statement was provocative and unacceptable.

Instead of trying to help the procedure, once more, the American ambassador makes it difficult with his misplaced statements.

     “If the Cyprus problem is not a matter of invasion and occupation, then what are Turkish troops doing on the island for more than 40 years?” spokesman Giorgos Loukaides said.

He also wondered why United Nations resolutions demanded the withdrawal of the troops.

     “We do not need Mr Koening to convince us that the Cyprus problem has its internal aspect. From there however, to the claim it is not an invasion an occupation problem, there is a huge distance,” the party spokesman added.

DIKO chairman Nicolas Papadopoulos said the ambassador made the claim because that was what the Turkish side considered.

EDEK said the government must immediately ask for the ambassador’s withdrawal.

The party said after his unacceptable and historically unfounded references, Koening was persona non grata.

Koening’s term ends this summer.

EVROKO said the statement caused grief, anger and disappointment to the Cypriot people, while the Citizens’ Alliance said he acted as an ambassador for Turkey and its expansionist designs.

The Green Party said it was not convinced Koening was expressing his personal position but rather that of the US government.

PROVOCATION: 70 Turkish warships flood Aegean - Warship spotted near shores of Arkadia!

credit defencenet

A huge Turkish armada consisting of well over 70 warships decided to sail around the Aegean on Friday alarming authorities at Greece's National Operations Centre. Authorities who suddenly saw their radars full of red dots from the numerous Turkish warships claim that they massed together a few miles south of Mount Athos and were spotted as far south as the island of Kythira!

A report on defencenet claims that one warship, specifically the F-243 YILDIRIM (MEKO 200 Track I) frigate was even spotted near the coast of Arcadia (!) in the Peloponnese (but was closely monitored by the Hellenic navy).

At the same time a TPC from the Turkish Navy made its presence known a few miles east of the island of Hydra (south of the Attica coast) and another Turkish frigate, the TCG Gokceada (F-494) class C.H Perry, was sailing south southwest of Kythira and northwest of Crete!

     "This has never occurred before with such intensity," a senior officer from the Hellenic Navy told Defencenet adding that "there is an ongoing (naval) exercise (tittled) DENIZKURDU-15 but it is clear that the Turkish Navy is attempting to demonstrate the high availability of its vessels."

The Hellenic navy did not sit idly by and swallow this Turkish show of power. From what has been reported, at least 20 units developed in the Aegean showing our neighbors who the boss of this sea is. With strategic moves and the correct positioning, our boys were able to easily control the movement of this huge Turkish fleet with fewer warships.

The Turkish naval exercises began on May 13th and are due to end on April 18th. According to the article, the purpose of these exercises aims at working with commercial vessels using NATO procedures. From what we learn the exercises are being conducted in the northern Aegean, but as we can all see Turkey once again decided to flex its muscles against its so-called NATO ally Greece and trigger our national sentiment by provokingly spreading its presence throughout the Aegean.

Reference in Greek - defencenet

PROVOCATION: Albright Says Either Kosovo Albanians or Greeks (?) Behind chaos in Balkans!

Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State of USA (1997-2001) and the first woman to hold that position, during Bill Clinton’s administration, acting in capacity of professor of international relations at Georgetown University, recently stated her opinion on the name issue of FYROM as well about recent events in Kumanovo. Albright characterized the name problem, i.e. implicitly the Greek position is “one of the craziest debates of all times”.

In a video segment from the morning news of FYROM’s public TV house, MRT, Albright apparently stated that within the American administration the name “Macedonia” was solely used for reference to the former Yugoslav republic, even prior to its recognition by USA under its constitutional name in 2004.

Commenting the recent violence in the town of Kumanovo, Albright expressed the view that this action was instigated either by Kosovo Albanians (and believe it or not) she also said that it could have also been instigated by Greeks!

She concluded her explanation with a conclusion that the name issue is not a priority now, in light of the security crisis in FYROM.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

     I could never understand the madness about the issue with the name, but today we all call the state “Macedonia”, said the former American Secretary of State Madeline Albright, revealing details from 20 years ago, when she was an American Ambassador in the United Nations.
     The question was where alphabetically "Macedonia" [sic] shall be placed, was it suppose to be under “l”, because it is close to “m”, as in “Macedonia” or in “f’ like in “former”. Seriously, this debate was ongoing and ongoing and it was one of the craziest debates of all times. I have no idea when the issue shall be solved, but we all call it today “Macedonia”.

After the terrorist attack in Kumanovo, "Macedonia" [sic] has a greater problem than the name issue, Albright declared.

     When we read about the events from the last week, it is really upsetting. Again it is about some extremist activities and divisions in various ethnic groups. The question is whether Kosovo is involved or the Greeks. I think that the name issue is not the most important question in this moment. We don’t want to see escalation and now it is time for us to take some measures, and not when the situation becomes more difficult. Source: olympia

Editor's Note: If anyone with a half a brain takes anything that this woman says seriously then they really need psychiatric help. What the hell would Greece have to gain by causing chaos in the Balkans? The is mere stupidity. What sinister plans are they up to again? Is this what the imperialists want so that they can easily threaten us -with a possible spillover- so that we can behave like good little countries and do everything that they want? Well it sure looks like it. Greece would never want any chaos at its borders. Why doesn't she ask her friends in Albania who is instigating chaos in the Balkans? Or her good friends at the Soros-backed Brookings institute which we all know consists of war mongers. I am sure they are rubbing their hands with glee for once again for destabilising the Balkans. Conspiracy? Oh really? Is Kosovo a conspiracy? Are the maniacs who run around and behead people in the name of their God a conspiracy? We here at HellasFrappe think not! If this is their last straw -meaning geopolitical nasty war mongers- who will stop at nothing to keep Europe under control so that it will never turn towards other countries then they are really sick. Still think she is a cute little old lady who wants to spread peace and democracy? Think again! A while back she had also said on live camera that it was worth it to kill 500,000 people (mostly woman and children in Iraq) to finally get at what the imperialist neocon forces she serves wanted. Before that, and during a book signing event she was verbally challenged by Orthodox Serbians who asked her about the unjust war in Yugoslavia and she treated them like an Ebola virus. -All this material is on YouTube check it out- Frappers, war mongers will never cease to exist, but thankfully we can expose them every so often for the stupidities and outright lies they say. Trouble is that there are still too many people who get duped by them. This is by far the biggest battle we need to fight. As for the events that are unfolding in the Balkans, or about to unfold, we suggest that you read some of the links posted below so that you can get a better understanding about the why and the how. Pay attention to the first two articles... and yes the second article is about the same V.Nuland who apparently has orchestrated the chaos in the Ukraine.

CHAOS IN FYROM - The Gears of War Grind for Greater Albania

http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/05/chaos-in-fyrom-gears-of-war-grind-for.html

GEOPOLITICS: Victoria Nuland & the Balkans
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/04/geopolitics-victoria-nuland-balkans.html

ANALYSIS - Brussels’s Next Balkans Ersatz State: Vojvodina
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2015/03/analysis-brusselss-next-balkans-ersatz.html

FOCUS BALKANS - Great Albania project via economic unification
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/12/focus-balkans-great-albania-project-via.html

China & the Balkans - A geopolitical Battle in its Beginning Phases
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/12/china-balkans-geopolitical-battle-in.html

The Military Propaganda Operation in the Balkans - MUST READ
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/12/the-military-propaganda-operation-in.html

Western Balkans Facing (SERIOUS) Incoming Terrorist Threat - MUST READ
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2014/04/western-balkans-facing-serious-incoming.html

Rothschild & Soros ' Octopus Over the Balkans - Yugoslavia had to be divided
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2013/03/rothschild-soros-octopus-over-balkans.html

George Soros, Eastern Europe, The Balkans, FYROM And The Spread of a New World Order
http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.gr/2013/04/george-soros-eastern-europe-balkans.html

Video on German war reparations angers (media-backed) Potami Party

A video that is currently being played in Athens subway stations regarding the German reparations claimed by the Greek state, has apparently raised some eyebrows, both in Greece and abroad. The video, which aims to raise awareness about the reparations and occupation loan and set the record straight, shows images of the German armed forces invading Athens in 1941. Certainly it is not something that Greeks and visitors to Greece expect to see in a subway station, but with a neocon approach to rewrite history in this world, it is a great initiative that was taken by the Ministry of National Defense and Parliamentary Committee for the German reparations and we should all applaud it.

Alternate Minister of National Defense Kostas Isichos claims that Germany's Der Spiegel has relayed a different video to the one being broadcast in the subway stations in Greece. In that video references are made to the 40,000 executions, 300,000 deaths over hunger and 63,000 Greek Jewish victims of the Holocaust, along with other catastrophes caused by the Germans in Greece.

In any case, the video that aims to raise awareness about this daunting subject has apparently soured some political parties in Greece. More specifically, a number of MPs from The River party (or the oligarch-media backed "To Potami" party) complained in Parliament over the video claiming that it may have an impact on the negotiations, which at present are in a critical phase. They also questioned the rationale behind the video and with what authority the Metro’s broadcasting network is being used “for propaganda purposes”.

Editor's Note: If Greeks were united on national issues, then buffoons such as those in the Potami party -and various other Leftist parties- would not dare to even utter a word about  a subject that we all know exists! Money and paying back our creditors is one thing, rewriting history is another! All Potami cares about is securing more loans for Greece which its supporters, mostly Greek media tycoons, will then drain out of Greek banks. Shame on them. 

CUCKOO - Skopje Professor says on 9th day God created the FYROManians (VIDEO)

The following clip shows Aristotel Tentov, FYROM professor of engineering, who gained “fame” in nationalist circles by performing pseudo-archaeological and pseudo-historic research which explains the emergence of the FYROManian people as a Divine work, superior in all aspects from the rest of humankind. This is a part of his recent interview on a talk-show on the channel of extremely pro-Gruevski television station SITEL in which Tentov postulates a Divine cosmogony which elevates “Makedonci” people of FYROM as a special creation, hierarchically over all other humans.

For many FYROM citizens, especially among the younger generation, the “new reading of history” is a basic fuel of nationalism and suprematism which is cultivated through pseudo-history in a very energetic manner since the onset of Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE rule since 2006.

Soros has worked his magic here indeed.

Editor's Note: Silly you and you thought God only created Adam and Eve and the world in seven days. Thankfully this man enlightened us. Truth is... We have no words, even science does not have an explanation about his condition.

PROVOCATION: Report Says Greek Sovereignty Questioned if IMF Debts Cannot be Paid

A study that was just released and which is addressed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raises the sensitive issue of  national sovereignty, suggesting that countries that cannot pay off their debts on time to the IMF, should have their national sovereignty revoked.

The document (picture above) is signed by James M. Boughton, a former executive of IMF.

A report in enikonomia.gr claims that in the document, Boughton, who was working for the IMF between 1981 to 2012, analyses the exact measures that should be taken in case a state cannot pay off its financial obligations.

The way the financial crisis in Greece has been handled demonstrated that the financial system has some ‘holes’, Boughton says.

Source: Enikonomia.gr

(Editor's Note: M@laka Giorgaki... If it wasn't for you Greece would never be in this situation. Nonetheless we are hopeful that Tsipras will keep his word -forget about all the silly rhetoric that his party is grinding in the mind of Greeks- and be prompt with its payments to these reserve-war-mongering buffoons. If not... Molon Lave m@lakes.)

Fuel shortages leave Greece helpless against Turkey, says a report in Newsweek

The lack of fuel has left the Greek Armed Forces helpless against the ever-increasing Turkish aggression, claims a report in Newsweek. According to the article, the financial crisis has put a major strain on the supply of fuel, leaving the Greek military unable to defend itself against acts of aggression.

Panteion University Professor and military expert Kostas Koliopoulos told the American magazine that “Turkey is the reason we have very large armed forces. And now Turkey is sensing a shift in the balance of power. Their increased activities in the Aegean are an attempt to wear us out”.

Furthermore, the article points that the Turkish Air Force has escalated its violations of Greek airspace in recent times. Meanwhile, in spite of the financial crisis, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed that  Greece spent 4 billion euros (2.5% GDP) on defense in 2014, which is the highest amongst European countries.

The Institutes’ head of military expenditure project Sam Perlo-Freeman questioned the necessity of some of the military purchases, given the critical need for fuel. The magazine article underlined that Turkey is aware that “Greece has to respond” whenever its territorial waters or airspace are violated, putting a further strain on resources.

More at Newsweek

PROVOCATION - SYRIZA MPs & PASOK slam Special Forces for slogans at parade (VIDEO)

The slogans that a number of Special Forces operators chanted during the military parade for the War of Independence on Wednesday apparently prompted some fierce reactions from Greek politicians (even from within the SYRIZA party).

During the parade in down town Athens Special Forces operators were heard chanting that “their dream” is “to enter Constantinople, raise a flag and chant (Greece's) hymn” and that "Macedonians cannot live as slaves".

Not surprisingly, the PASOK party immediately reacted and issued a statement slamming the slogans terming them “irresponsible and a haphazard.” PASOK then called on Minister of National Defense Panos Kammenos to punish all of “those who ‘allowed’ the Special Forces to dictate foreign policy and national security policy”.

(Oh brother...)

And if that wasn't enough, reactions also came from within the SYRIZA party, with MP Vasiliki Katrivanou arguing that the "nationalist" slogans were a direct challenge against democracy. She also urged the cleansing of the Armed Forces from “fascist and far-right enclaves that remain strong.”

Strong criticism was also apparently expressed by SYRIZA MEP Dimitri Papadimoulis. A report on defencenet claimed that following some bickering with Attica Prefect Rena Dourou -who he called on to stage economically friendly parades-, he decided to also slam the slogans that were expressed at the parade. Specifically he said that the "nationalistic slogans are contrary to Greece's established foreign policy," while he called on members of his own party to pull the brakes on the matter.

He forgets of course that his party is in a coalition government with a the far-right ANEL party which incidentally co-organized Wednesday's parade.

(Editor's Note: How ridiculous is that? Exactly what was it that bothered these pseudo-Leftist/internationalists the most? The fact that our men and women uphold the blue and white in regards to Greek-Turkish relations or because they insist that Macedonia is, was and will always be Greek? Aside from that, we were celebrating our independence from Ottoman rule which began with the fall of Constantinople! Do they suffer from Stockholm syndrome? And on a lighter note, our boys were simply singing marching slogans for Christ's sake so that they can keep pace! The Greek Armed Forces cannot dictate foreign policy, that is a ludicrous argument. Why? Because Greece's foreign policy is dictated by the WEST. Isn't that what Leftists have been charging all other governments before them? On the other, our Armed Forces are trained to view Turkey as an aggressor and not a friend; Turkey never has been and never will be our friend -and as long as it occupies Cyprus we can never trust them.- We propose that these specific SYRIZA MPSs and the PASOK party immediately refrain from criticizing the Hellenic Armed Forces because they are the only institution in Greece that still gives us the people a sense of pride. Finally and most importantly, patriotism cannot be associated with nationalism, this is a neo-con (or Soros-style) ideology that only serves the interests of globalists and their mega corporations. If SYRIZA can call on all of us to be patriotic and pay our taxes, then its MPs should not be bothered if we the people respect Greek national interests. There is no two ways about it. HellasFrappe believes that Theodore Roosevelt said it best: 'Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official.' And that is exactly what our men and women do. Our Armed Forces are not there to serve SYRIZA, PASOK, ND or the West, etc, but are there to protect us the people and uphold the almighty blue and white of Greece! - So we propose MOUNGA -which basically means sh@t up!-. Let's hope that all these wannabes only wanted their five minutes of fame and let us leave it as that because their stance on the whole issue is too overly-ridiculous to even continue commenting on.)

PROVOCATION - New Greek-Turkish dogfight over the Aegean

credit Defencenet

According to the National Defence General Staff, six Turkish F-16 fighter jets violated Greek airspace at 11:04 (local time) on Monday between the islands of Lesvos and Chios (just before flying over the Fournon islands), without having submitted a flight plan.

Greek F-16 fighter jets immediately took off from the island of Skyros and put missile firing parameters -long-range AIM-120 (BVR)- against the Turkish fighters. (On account of the low availability of Mirage 2000-5 and F-4E Peace Icarus, the F-16 took off from Skyros.)

When the Turkish fighters realized that the Greek planes had placed a trapped signal on them they immediately split into formations of four and two. At 11:27 the four fighter jets flew to 25,000 feet and the other two planes flew at 12,000 feet (or just a bit before the Greek airplanes approached them carrying air-to-air short range missiles). It was a classic move by Turkey to provide assistance to both its fighters from the Greek jets.

At 11:30 and after being pursued by Greek fighter jets, the Turkish planes then left Greek airspace flying over south of the island of Samos after being detected by Greek F-16 fighter jets.

Monday's incident is just one of many violations from Turkish jets over the past few days. It has become a daily habit to read about Turkish violations and continuous dogfights over the Aegean.

For instance, last Thursday and Friday a whopping 103 violations were recorded but luckily each incident was quickly intercepted by Greek fighter planes. Quite interestingly, last week's incidences were taken to heart from Ankara to the point that the Turkish General Staff issued a statement speaking of "harassment" on the part of Greece (against its planes) in what it termed "international air ... space", on account of an entrapment radar. Ankara went as far as to complain that Greek fighters harassed Turkish F- 16 five times (for 13 minutes and 50 seconds), with an entrapment radar, and said that all they were doing was merely conducting a training flight in international airspace. They did, however, admit that the Turkish F-16s had also locked the Greek fighters.

Source: Defencenet

PROVOCATION - Turkey issues NOTAM in Aegean - Athens to raise issue with NATO

UPDATE

The Greek government delivered demarches to the United Nations, NATO, the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), condemning Turkey’s plans, following Ankara's release of the initial NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) on February 27, (for the reservation of a large portion of airspace over the central Aegean Sea in order to hold an unprecedented a 10-month military drill). Almost immediately Ankara issued a new NOTAM (No. 0900/15) revising the original notice (No 0889/15, issued on February 27) by excluding the island of Limnos from the area reserved for military use.

The initial notice, which constitutes a violation of international law and Greek sovereign rights,, provocatively designated a large section of the Aegean Sea – from the central Aegean island of Skyros northeast to Limnos – as an area where the Turkish armed forces could conduct exercises until the end of the year.

Original Story

Greece is protesting Turkey's move to reserve a large chunk of airspace over the Aegean Sea for military maneuvers until the end of the year, a Greek foreign ministry spokesman said at the weekend. Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras was quoted as saying that Ankara has unilaterally issued a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, reserving an extensive airspace over the Aegean Sea from March 2 to December 31, 2015, for military use.

The Greek government notes that the move intrudes into Greek airspace, interferes with traffic to two regional airports and affects two international traffic routes.

In the meantime, Greece's civil aviation authority issued a navigational warning stating the Turkish NOTAM is null and void.

The foreign ministry spokesman said that the Greek government plans to take the matter to NATO, the United Nations, the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).

This is the second major Turkish provocation in the Aegean in the past two months. On the 31st of December 2014, Turkey issued two NAVTEX broadcasts, reserving large areas in the north and central Aegean for 2015.

The latest Turkish provocation came as a surprise, last Thursday the Greek government offered to begin talks about Trust Building Measures between the two neighboring countries. Turkey agreed to Greek request, making the latest provocation even more confusing.

Reference in Greek - defencenet, balkans.com

Turkey Rejects Tsipras Proposal To Recommence Cyprus Talks

The proposal made by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to recommence talks on the Cypriot dispute was apparently rejected by the government of Ankara, said that Turkish daily Hurriyet in one report on Tuesday.

Sources told the paper that the Turkish government is not willing to withdraw the Barbaros research vessel from the Cypriot EEZ and that Ankara is not planning on changing its stance on the issue.

Turkey, according to the author of the article, is standing by three positions: That a UN solution is promoted; that the natural sources belong to the united Cyprus and that a committee be formed to manage any income derived from natural resources.

Greece and Cyprus consider these positions unacceptable and stress the need for Turkey to end its provocations and respect the sovereignty of Cyprus by withdrawing its research vessel from Cyprus' EEZ, so that talks can recommence.

Reference: Hurriyet

Tsipras: Greece & Cyprus pillars of stability in the region

Resolving the Cyprus issue is the cornerstone for Greek-Turkish relations and the consolidation of stability in the region, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in joint statements with Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades after their meeting in Nicosia on Monday. The enikos news site quoted Tsipras as saying that the economic crisis has burdened Greece and Cyprus and ending the Troika model would be a "positive institutional step." The Greek PM added that both Greece and Cyprus remain two significant pillars of stability in the region.

When asked to comment on Turkey’s violation of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Tsipras apparently noted the dispatch of the "Barbaros" research vessel which he said is "a flagrant violation of the international law and undermines the bilateral talks.”

When reporters asked him about a possible Russian loan, the Greek premier said that the government in Athens is in discussions with partners who have already lent Greece much needed capital and he noted that there are "no other thoughts" (on a possible loan from Russia).

He did however state that Cyprus and Greece can become "a bridge of peace" between Europe and Moscow.

(Editor's Note - Let us hope that the solution to the Cyprus issue does not come with another devastating Annan-type plan...  Moreover, we cannot forget the statements that have been made over time by various SYRIZA MPs regarding Greek-Turkish relations and the division of the Aegean Sea. Also, the recent comments by the government, or its sudden warming up to Moscow, does not convince us here at HellasFrappe that Greece has suddenly decided to rebuild its ties with Russia. We have yet to see any tangible hands on efforts towards such a development. As far as we are concerned it could just be deaf statements by the Tsipras government who we truly believe -judging by the Ministers and MPs that represent it- to be another Papandreou-style government. We truly hope that our instinct is wrong on this issue because we believe that Greece should befriend all nations, and be on equal terms with both the super powers of the West and the East. One of our readers asked us to give SYRIZA the benefit of the doubt... We will, and every time they adopt decisions that benefit Greece we will applaud them, however they are failing to convince us about their sudden love for Russia because they already turned down several privatisation offers -which were reportedly made by Russians in Greece-, and let us not forget that last week they also turned down the Chinese offer for the port of Piraeus.)

PROVOCATION - Turkish F-16 near Imia while Kammenos Lays Memorial Wreath

According to a report on defecenent, as well as on ProtoThema, Turkish F-16 fighter planes suddenly appeared in the skies on Friday near the islet of Imia as the newly appointed Minister of Defense, Panos Kammenos, was aboard a helicopter to lay a wreath in memory of three Hellenic Navy aviators that were killed during the 1996 Imia crisis when their chopper crashed in the vicinity. The Turkish planes attempted a type of ambush on the helicopter that was carrying the Greek minister but luckily they were immediately challenged by Greek F-16s which had taken off from the 115th unit in Crete!

Reports claim that the Turkish fighter did not violate Greek airspace, but without a doubt it wanted to intimidate the significance of the moment. Also there was no need of a dogfight since the Greek fighters managed to encircle the Ministers helicopter which was now hovered over the islet of Imia. The same reports add that a few more planes took to the skies from both sides but the Turks decided to withdraw their forces after realizing that the Greek fighters had locked on to their movements and had taken their place around the controversial islet.

The NH-90 helicopter that was transporting the Greek defence minister over Imia maneuvered over the islet’s shore to allow the ministry delegation to lay the wreath.

It should be reminded that in 1996 the events that unfolded at this island almost led to a war between Greece and Turkey (read article below for details.) At the time Turkey began to dispute the sovereignty of these Greek islands and spoke of “grey zones” in the Aegean. This is one of the reasons why the US requested that all armed forces and flags be removed from the area.

The minister was accompanied to Imia by the Chief General Armed Forces Vice Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.

It should be noted that Kammenos was the first Minister to visit the Islets since 1996. His initiative to honor the three pilots who perished at sea at the time should indeed be applauded. (Bravo tou)

Earlier on Friday he also would lay a wreath at the Imia memorial in down town Athens.

The Golden Dawn party has also organized a demonstration at the Imia Memorial in Athens, while various antifascist groups have arranged to gather in Omonia Square.

Imia: Almost Two Decades Later And We Have Not Forgotten

At the end of January in 1996 on the islet of Imia (Ίμια), which is a set of two small uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, at the Greek chain of islands known as the Dodecanese, a war nearly broke out between Greece and Turkey. That night, Greek special forces landed on the east islet without being spotted by the nearby Turkish ships. 

On January 31, at 01:40 Turkish special forces landed on the west islet escalating the tensions, and a Greek helicopter took off at 05:30 am from the Greek frigate "Navarino" for reconnaissance. During the mission the helicopter crashed over the islets (some speculating due to Turkish fire) and three Greek officers, namely Commander Christodoulos Karathanasis. Commander Panagiotis Vlahakis and flagship Hector Gialopso died. (These are the three heroic men who died in defence of the blue and white and who the Greek Minister of Defence wanted to commemorate on Friday).

IMAGE - The photo above shows the bullets that were fired on the helicopter from the Turkish side. It is one of the few photos that have not been able to erase the responsibilities of those who rushed to claim that the helicopter fell because the pilot, Karathanasis suffered heart problems.

The Greek Parliament is quickly briefed on the incident, and the acting Prime Minister at the time, Costas Simitis, calls on his cabinet and chairs an extraordinary meeting. Following this, Simitis holds a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, via the mediation of Americans in the framework of avoiding war. At 6:10 am the ministers of defense and foreign affairs, namely, Arsenis and Theodore Pangalos, respectively, announce that an agreement was reached between Athens and Ankara following the diplomatic intervention of US President Bill Clinton and his mediator Richard Holbrooke.  

(The same man who years later was sending cables from Athens to the US about Costas Karamanlis, and the same man who a couple of years ago -and while George Papandreou was in power- accompanied Hillary Clinton to Athens to discuss Greece's natural energy reserves. He is a man who has always lobbied in favor of sharing the Aegean sea (and all its wealth) with Turkey... If you need more information, simply type in his name in our search box and you will be astonished with what will pop up.)

Later on in the day and following a "thank you" to the Americans by Simitis in the Greek parliament (which infuriated MPs from the Right to the Left), the Turkish threat began to die down. That is of course what Simitis' PASOK party believed at the time..., but as we can all see the Greek people never forgot.

Almost two decades later... we have still not forgotten, and we never will. How can a nation forget that its own government sent three innocent souls to be slaughtered at the hands of ruthless men? This tragedy will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, nor will it EVER BE FORGIVEN.

Background to the tragedy

On December 25, 1995 the Turkish cargo vessel "Figen Akat" ran aground on one of the Imia rocky islets. Although the accident occurred within Greek territorial waters the captain of the "Figen Akat" refused assistance from the competent Greek authorities claiming that he was within Turkish territorial waters. Despite assurances to the contrary, the captain sought assistance from the Turkish authorities. Finally, in agreement with the Turkish company that owned the vessel, the "Figen Akat" was towed to the Turkish port of Gulluk by a Greek tug boat.

On December 29, 1995, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed to the Greek Embassy in Ankara a Note Verbal, asserting, for the first time in more than half a century, that Imia constitutes part of the Turkish territory, registered in the land registry of the Turkish province of Mugla. Greece reacted and on January 10, 1996 it addressed a Note Verbal to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By that Note Greece rejected the Turkish claims and underlined that Imia is Greek territory by virtue of cession from Italy, to which it belonged in accordance with the 1932 Italo-Turkish Agreement and the subsequent Proces Verbal.

While legal and diplomatic staffs in both Athens and Ankara started to dig the archives and to develop more elaborate arguments, the incident escalated to a crisis. On January 25, 1996, the Mayor of Kalymnos together with three other Greek citizens raised a Greek flag on the larger of the Imia islets. On January 27, 1996, Turkish journalists from the Turkish daily Hurriyet landed on this same islet, took down the Greek flag that was posted there and raised the Turkish flag. Although the Turkish Government did not officially endorse the action of the Turkish journalists, the Turkish Prime Minister at that time, Ms Tansu Ciller, insisted a few days later: "We can't let a foreign flag fly on Turkish soil. The flag will come down."

On January 28, 1996, a Greek navy detachment replaced the Greek flag. At the same time a major naval build up was developing around the Imia islets and at various times up to 20 vessels were reported in the area. On January 30, 1996, Turkey sent several ships to the region, prompting Greece to send an equal number. A Turkish frigate violated Greek territorial waters targeting a Greek gunboat that was patrolling the area and a Turkish helicopter flew over the Imia islets. The same day the entire Greek fleet left its naval base near Pireus and sailed to the Aegean. The crisis reached its peak in the early morning hours of January 31, 1996 when the Turkish army landed some men on the smaller of the Imia islets. (hri). 

After the Imia incident, and PASOK's Secret Diplomacy Exposed

Following Imia, as revealed in the videos, the Greek government sent a letter to US officials telling them that they would command that all Greek military forces leave from the Dodecanese islands that run along the Turkish coast in the framework of mending Greek-Turkish relations. Luckily for our country, the Greek military presence in the area remained.

No harm in that right? 

Wrong.

In a series of classified documents that were presented by reporter Costas Chardavelas (Video Below) -based on talks between former US President Bill Clinton, the then head of the CIA, the Greek and Turkish governments- and which were declassified a couple of years ago by the US, show that top secret meetings were held by Costas Simitis, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodore Pangalos, the then Minister of Defence Gerasimos Arsenis, the then head of the Armed Forces Mr. Lyberis, etc, with American and Turkish officials.

In one of those documents, it was more or less understood that Theodore Pangalos had agreed and noted (in a document) that it was "illegal" for Greek troops to be stationed in the area known as the Dodecanese islands. We repeat... In an effort to please the West in their outrageous demands, a GREEK MINISTER SAID THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO HAVE GREEK TROOPS STATIONED ON A GREEK ISLAND. (The reporter Costas Chardavelas said that this was one condition that was demanded by the American side. Watch full video below for all the details.)

In some nations people would be hung with such statements, but under the PASOK regime and its green corrupt blanket, the story did not even make headlines in the news.

In simple words, the division of the Aegean -or the so-called grey zones- obviously began on the night that the Imia affair unfolded, under the Simitis government.

(And we all know who continued the dirty work thereafter. Correct... George Papandreou)

The media in Greece may have remained silent on the issue of Imia. Only a few daring reporters have actually touched the subject. Some believe that this was done in an effort to manipulate us into thinking that it was a one time incident, or even a misunderstanding, but as we said earlier, almost two decades have passed and the issue has still not been forgotten by the masses.

In fact, now that our leaders have finally admitted that there is oil and natural gas in these areas, one thing is for certain, Imia (and Kastelorizo) will dominate the news again!

This of course will never bring back those three young boys who rushed to the call of duty on that frightful night. These young boys will always be remembered. Their sacrifice is not only hailed by their families... but by all Hellenes. We can never repay them for this act of selflessness. The only thing that we can do, however, (or rather are obligated as a people and compelled to do) is honor them every year, remember their sacrifice and bravery and tell their story.

Signed

Marina Spanos 

References:

• http://strangehellas.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post_24.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmium
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imia
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHBi35oaimw
• http://www.antirrisies.gr/node/361