Georgios no-mates: Why Greece struggles to get along with its neighbours

Economist
October 8, 2011

With its reputation inside the euro zone in shreds, one might expect Greece to seek some friends closer to home. Yet the country is no more popular with its neighbours than it is among thrifty Swabian housewives.

The most frustrating case is Macedonia, which has been embroiled in a row with Greece over its name since 1991. (The Greeks believe it implies territorial ambitions towards a northern Greek region of the same name.) With the spat frustrating their bids to join NATO and the European Union, the Macedonians have taken to such aggravating stunts as placing an outsized statue of Alexander the Great, a hero claimed by both sides, in the middle of Skopje, their capital. This has not softened Greek attitudes.

The partitioned island of Cyprus has long been a running sore in Greek relations with Turkey. Now the frozen conflict is showing worrying signs of thawing. The Cypriot government, backed by Greece, has asked an American company to begin offshore drilling for gas to the south of the island. This has infuriated Turkey, which says that Turkish-Cypriots must have a share of the spoils. The Turkish government has signed its own exploration deal with Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, and dispatched a research vessel and several gunboats to the area. Separate rows between Greece and Turkey over tiny islets in the Aegean continue to fester.

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