Greece Background Informaiton based on Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, August 2004 (Greece/Greek/Crete/Creta/Kriti):

Background Note: Greece
 

PROFILE OFFICIAL NAME:
Hellenic Republic

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Greece's foreign policy is increasingly aligned with that of its European partners. Greece gives particular emphasis to its close relations with Cyprus, but has growing political and economic ties with the Balkan countries and the Middle East. Greece maintains full diplomatic, political, and economic relations with its south-central European neighbors. It provides peacekeeping contingents for Bosnia and Kosovo. Greece has good relations with Russia and has opened embassies in a number of the former Soviet republics, which it sees as potentially important trading partners. Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include a dispute over the name of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), the enduring Cyprus problem, Greek-Turkish differences over the Aegean, and Greek-American relations.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.)
Greek refusal to recognize F.Y.R.O.M. under the name "Republic of Macedonia" has been an important issue in Greek politics since 1992. Greece was adamantly opposed to the use of the name "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the name is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country. Mediation efforts by the UN and the United States brokered an interim agreement between Greece and F.Y.R.O.M. in September 1995. Talks on the name question continue under UN auspices.

Albania
Greece restored diplomatic relations with Albania in 1971, but the Greek Government did not formally lift the state of war, declared during World War II, until 1987. After the fall of the Albanian communist regime in 1991, relations between Athens and Tirana became increasingly strained because of allegations of mistreatment by Albanian authorities of the Greek ethnic minority in southern Albania. A wave of Albanian illegal economic migrants to Greece exacerbated tensions. Cooperation between Greece and Albania is improving, with efforts focused on regional issues, such as narcotics trafficking and illegal immigration. However, tensions hover just below the surface. Greece remains host to 600,000-800,000 Albanian immigrants, many of them illegal. Albanian crime in Greece often attracts headlines.

Greece-Turkey-Cyprus Relations
For historical reasons, most Greeks see Turkey as the major potential threat to their security. Greece and Turkey have unresolved but manageable disagreements regarding the Aegean and treatment of Greek minority in Istanbul and the Muslim (primarily ethnic Turkish) minority in western Thrace. The largest source of tension in their relationship since the 1950s has been the Cyprus conflict. Greece blames Turkey for the continuing division of the island between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974, and firmly supports the Greek Cypriot quest for a federal solution to the conflict based on relevant UN resolutions. At times over the past three decades, tensions between Greece and Turkey have almost reached the point of armed confrontation, usually caused by one side or the other's attempting to clarify an ambiguous status quo in the Aegean. In 1996, President Clinton intervened to help avert a possible armed exchange after Greek and Turkish journalists generated a dispute over ownership of an uninhabited rock called Imia. A significant breakthrough in relations took place with the major earthquakes that hit Turkey and Greece in 1999. Both countries and peoples responded generously to the other's need, helping turn around official perceptions that rapprochement was politically too risky. Since that time, Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers George Papandreou and Ismail Cem (and their respective successors Petros Molyviatis and Abdullah Gul) have steadily increased the quantity and quality of bilateral exchanges, both official and unofficial. Greece has endorsed and supported Turkey's bid for candidacy to the European Union since the Helsinki EU Summit in 1999. Greece's advocacy was a key element of the EU's decision at the 2002 Copenhagen Summit: that if the European Council in December 2004 decides that Turkey has met certain criteria on economic and political reform, and has made progress on the resolution of regional disputes, "the EU will open negotiations without delay." Despite continuing disagreements with Ankara over Cyprus and the Aegean, Greek opinion leaders across the political spectrum are convinced that Greece's long-term interests are best served by Turkey's successfully fulfilling the requirements for European Union membership. The EU's Copenhagen Summit also approved the accession of the Republic of Cyprus as of May 1, 2004--a key foreign policy goal for Greece, which is still pressing for resolution of the Cyprus problem. Turkey has criticized the EU's decision, warning that it will complicate efforts to reach a Cyprus agreement. Actual negotiations have been moribund since early 2003.

The Middle East
Greece has a special interest in the Middle East because of its geographic position and its economic and historic ties to the area. Greece cooperated with allied forces during the 1990-91 Persian Gulf war. Since 1994, Greece has signed defense cooperation agreements with Israel and Egypt. In recent years, Greek leaders have hosted several meetings of Israeli and Palestinian politicians to contribute to the peace process. Greece has been traditionally supportive of Palestinian claims. However, beginning in the late 1990s, efforts to strike a more balanced relationship with Israel received a boost. Greek-Israeli relations have been complicated by Israel's strategic cooperation with Turkey.

U.S.-GREECE RELATIONS
The United States and Greece have longstanding historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Cold War. The Greek Government responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks with strong political support for the United States, unimpeded use of Greek airspace, and the offer of Greek military assets in support of the counterterrorism campaign. Its participation in Operation Enduring Freedom included the stationing of a Greek Navy frigate in the Arabian Sea for almost 2 years--the most distant deployment ever for the Greek Navy. In the summer of 2002, Greek authorities captured numerous suspected members of the terrorist group "17 November." It was a major break in the investigation of the group, which had killed five U.S. mission employees since 1975. The trial of the November 17 suspects concluded in the fall of 2003. Currently, there is smooth cooperation between U.S. and Greek counter-terrorism officials. About 1.1 million Americans are of Greek origin, and almost 3 million call themselves Greek-Americans. The large, well-organized Greek-American community in the United States cultivates close political and cultural ties with Greece. Greece has the seventh-largest population of U.S. Social Security beneficiaries in the world. The United States has provided Greece with more than $11.1 billion in economic and security assistance since 1946. Economic programs were phased out by 1962, but military financial assistance continued until the early 1990s.

In 1953, the first defense cooperation agreement between Greece and the United States was signed, providing for the establishment and operation of American military installations on Greek territory. The United States closed three of its bases in the 1990s. The current mutual defense cooperation agreement (MDCA) provides for the operation by the United States of a naval support facility that exploits the strategically located deep-water port and airfield at Souda Bay in Crete.

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