The Greek government does not allow visas to be given to the Greek community of Crimea : unacceptable !

The Greek government does not allow visas to be given to the Greek community of Crimea : unacceptable !

By Maria Kalyva *

The recent visit of the Minister of Tourism Mr. Theocharis to Moscow was accompanied by wide publicity (both in Moscow and Athens ), but also by positive (!) Comments and statements at all levels. And the exclamation mark came in, because we are not used to hearing positive comments about the Russian Federation in the news of our major TV channels, these last weeks.

On the contrary, for many years Russia has been mentioned mainly or only through descriptions of shady situations, with shady and fake news that does not intersect and facts that are not documented, but are accompanied by edited images and corresponding negative comments. A mixture of half-truths, even lies, that form an overall negative image.

So for months we learned of every move of the opposition "liberal" Navalny, without anyone ever telling us about his racist statements and his collaboration with far-right and even Nazi groups in Russia, some of which went to extremes such as breaking shops only and only because their owners were Caucasians, as a result of which they have been outlawed today.

In 2014, the tv screens changed with joy, as the Ukrainians finally escaped the Russian siege, forgetting to show the snipers who spread death to the civilian crowd and the chaos in the country and the Nazis who paraded with swastikas in the streets .

This phenomenon, spread throughout the western world, spread so much that it even got a name and so Russophobia became a key “motif” for many of the major media in our country.

But what is it that imposes extremism in the exercise of politics, far surpassing any differences, controversies and criticisms that are absolutely respected and even necessary? What is it that leads expression to such homogeneity (despite the crowns of pluralism) that it even pushes journalism to the limits of propaganda? (because the non-comprehensive presentation of facts and situations, the concealment of facts and the one-sided comments of the news, is the definition of propaganda).

The result of all the above we see in front of us in recent years is gaining an avalanche rhythm. Sanctions and sanctions again with lower or higher financial costs, but always with special political weight. Statements that in international diplomatic language have not been heard even in the most acute historical periods, such as the recent one of President Biden and diplomatic episodes. Russophobia is the vehicle that does it, or tries to do it, all of which is outside of normal diplomatic relations. .

This is not the first time that humanity has been confronted with such phenomena. The political targeting of nations, even whole races, has played a special role in history, while always embellishing policies that lead to disastrous consequences. It is not the job of an article to study and analyze a social phenomenon, but it is more than visible that the common starting point of these political choices has always been the system's inability to produce effective answers and solutions, to give real perspective to deadlocks.

We live in a similar situation today. The omnipotence of imperialism and its famous planetary rulers seemed insignificant in the face of the economic impasse of the crisis, which only seems to have begun in ’08, seemed insignificant in the face of such a tiny adversary as a virus. All that remains is to destroy opponents in order to exploit the wealth-producing resources of them and their allies. Simple, easy and tested. We know the cost of this policy, how temporary its results are, even if they succeed, we also know very well from the examples of the past. But that does not seem to stop Western politicians from repeating their mistakes.

That is why, in such a cycle of escalations, confrontations and increased anti-Russian propaganda, the news of Mr. Theocharis' official visit and the promotion that took place from both sides seemed special to us. Even if, from the Greek side at least, it once again seemed to be motivated mainly or only by the need to produce some temporary profits from the tourism industry.

And only there, unfortunately, did this development remain. Because going to Moscow and discussing tourism flows, while still supporting the European Union's sanctions on travel to part of the Russian Federation, is at least paradoxical. And things get even worse.

Crimea, which has been sanctioned, is not a random part of the Russian Federation. It is much more for Greece. Not only because the historical ties that connect us with the place are older than the history itself, but also mainly because in the area lives and develops an officially recognized Greek community.

To see, in all its glory the paradox. The Greek government supports the sanctions that prohibit the Greeks of Crimea from traveling to Greece, because it disagrees with the policy pursued by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine and this has become even more logical.

But how would it look to us if at some point if Australia happened (e.g.) to have a disagreement with the Philippines for example, and because we disagreed with the way Australia handles the case… to ban 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Greek immigrants from traveling to our country? It would definitely be unthinkable.

And the thing gets worse if we think about the historical path of the two peoples, the Greek and the Russian, and how much we have gained through our coexistence and cooperation over the centuries. The examples are endless .

Even during the Turkish occupation, when there was no official Greek state, the Greeks developed their relations with the Russians and the Slavic-speaking populations in general, both economically (with a rapid growth of trade) and culturally (by creating even common dances, with Hasaposerbiko as the first example). And this gave the possibility of independence and development to Hellenism. If our ancestors were able to do this under the tight bonds of the harsh Ottoman occupation, it is inconceivable that today, now autonomous and sovereign (?), We choose to sacrifice any prospect of cooperation in the name of disputes concerning others.

The Hellenic Club of Friends of Crimea issued its own announcement a few days ago, asking the Greek government to stop the sanctions and to give the Hellenism of Crimea its self-evident right to visit our country. In its last paragraph it states:

Greece has the special privilege of uniting peoples and cultures. With its special place on the map, at the crossroads of peoples and their streets. With its great culture, which has been co-formed over the centuries through continuous and ongoing interaction with dozens of other cultures in the region and even further. But mainly with its people, who live and create in all corners of this planet, without forgetting their origins and history. This privilege is at the same time its debt to humanity and to Europe in particular. Greece CANNOT be anything less than a body of peace, cooperation and unity of peoples. It CANNOT stand for anything other than a Europe that respects the needs and interests, but also the right of self-determination of its peoples. And it will not sacrifice their prosperity and peaceful coexistence in the name of narrow interests and even foreign ones. "The right of the Greek minority in Crimea to visit Greece is self-evident and the Greek government has a duty to defend it in the European institutions and to do so IMMEDIATELY."

This section describes the situation in detail. We do not need to add anything else.

* Maria Kalyva is an independent journalist in the Greek media, also a member of the executive coordination committee of the Hellenic club “ Friends of Crimea “ .