Turkey-Greece Island Dispute

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2016

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

A Turkish cargo ship ran aground on a tiny rocky island in the Aegean Sea in December 1995. But a dispute between Turkey and Greece over who owned the island sovereignty almost brought the two nations to war. Agreement still hasn't been reached over the territory called Kardak by the Turks and Imia by the Greeks. Cagil Kasapoglu spoke to the former Turkish diplomat Onur Oymen and the former Greek foreign minister, Theodoros Pangalos, about the crisis.

Photo: Turkish journalists prepare a Turkish flag to replace the Greek flag on Kardak/Imia island, January 27, 1996 (AP Photo/Hurriyet)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC BBC.
0:02.0	BBC.
0:05.0	Hello and thank you for downloading or history program witness on the BBC World Service
0:11.0	with Me, Chael Casapolo. Today I'm taking you back to Christmas
0:15.0	1995 when a Turkish cargo ship ran ashore on a tiny rocky island in the Aegean Sea
0:21.3	leading to a crisis in the already difficult relationship between Turkey and Greece.
0:27.0	The dispute over the collection of rocks which are called Cardak by the Turks and Imia by the Greeks
0:35.2	brought the two neighbors to the brink of war.
0:38.0	I've been speaking to the Turkish diplomat under Eumen and to Theodoros Pangolos, who was Greek foreign minister at the time.
0:48.0	Well, I was warned by the Ministry of Merchant Marine. You called me to tell me that there was a Turkish cargo
0:56.1	that was stuck someplace in the India Islands.
1:01.8	So I asked them to offer him any possible assistance.
1:05.0	Then they called me on the Christmas day and they told me that the Turkish
1:11.0	captain had communicated with his authorities and not want our assistance.
1:16.3	Because he is in Turkey.
1:18.7	I said, okay, so you don't let them drone and inform me what he is happening. I didn't want to have an issue there.
1:30.0	But this was going to become an issue.
1:33.0	The relationship between Greece and Turkey has been tense since 1974
1:38.0	when Turkish troops landed on Cyprus.
1:41.0	And Greece believed the Imiarokes were its own but the Turkish cargo
1:45.8	captain insisted he was in Turkish waters.
1:50.3	Then finally the boat managed to go away with his own engines and did not need our help.
	...

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