[Discussion] Conference on Greek-Turkish Rapprochement,University of Oxford

[sule tarakcioglu]

H-TURK <turk@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU>
From: "Ioannis Grigoriadis" <ioannisgrigoriadis@yahoo.com>

South East European Studies Programme (SEESP)

Conference
on

"THE CONTINUED RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN
GREECE AND TURKEY:
(STILL) GENUINE OR STRATEGIC?

Friday 28 May 2004
09:00-16:00
at Maplethorpe Conference Room, St Hugh's College,
University of Oxford

Programme

08:30-09:00 Welcome

09:00-10:30 Session 1
Beyond Helsinki? Greece's role in Turkey's accession into the
European Union
Following the Helsinki summit, Greece became one of the strongest
supporters of Turkish accession, including by campaigning in the run
up to the December 2004 Summit. How is Greece likely to be affected
by the prospect of Turkish accession into the EU? In particular, how
is the issue of size likely to play out when Turkey will be the
biggest EU country and Greece in the small country camp? Are there
genuine interests at stake here or is it simply convenient for Greece
to have ceased to be the front-line EU objecting state? Conversely,
how does Turkey perceive Greece's role in its own path towards EU
membership, as a friend or as a competitor?

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-12:30 Session 2
Atlanticists or Europeanists? Turkish-Greek partnership within NATO
In the wake of the Iraq war as well as in the context of the drafting
of the new defence provisions in the EU Constitution, we will revisit
the europeanist vs the atlanticist debate in a regional perspective.
Where do Turkey and Greece stand today on this axis? Can Turkey still
be considered a bulwark of NATO and a "reliable" US ally? What were
its objections to the specifics of EU defence and how do these
developments affect its atlanticist orientation? On the other hand,
how has Greece's continuous support for a more autonomous European
security and defence policy affected its stance towards Turkey? How
was this tension handled during Greece's year-long EU defence
presidency? How has this asymmetry between the two countries affected
bilateral relations in view of developments in Iraq and the Middle
East?

12:30-13:00: Buffet Lunch

13:00-14:15: Lunch discussion
Dealing with memory: shared history re-visited
How has the rapprochement affected the way the two sides deal with
their shared history and memory? In the last years, Turkish and Greek
academics have started to discuss and analyse these matters jointly.
But has this led to a real change in the way the two peoples perceive
and understand specific past events? Can the deep distrust towards
each other's reading of the past be alleviated? How has the contested
nature of history affected the parameters and depth of the
rapprochement? In this session, we will explore one "founding event"
from the recent, or not so recent, past, namely the years 1922-1923.
That moment of shared history holds very different meanings for each
side: the Asia Minor catastophe vs the victory and establishment of
the Turkish Republic. Focussing on the compulsory population exchange
between Greece and Turkey, we will reflect on political memory and
the role of histories and its effects on contemporary relations
between these countries.

14:30-16:00 Session 3
Between High and Low Politics: Bilateral disputes or opportunities?
The Turkish-Greek rapprochement has been mostly based on low
politics, bilateral discussions and cooperation. Since 1999, the two
countries have identified areas of common interest in the fields of
economy, trade, tourism, environment, culture, or combating crime and
civil society groups have forged extensive links. But how clear is
the distinction between low politics and high politics and how has
progress in the former affected the latter? Some argue that it is
mainly through deepening cooperation in the field of low politics
that one can expect progress in the area of high politics. Others
argue that unless the stakes stemming from high politics are raised
and directly confronted with, rapprochement at the day-to-day level
will be stalled. With a new government in Greece, an increasingly
positive policy on the part of the Turkish government and the
prospect of accession talks with the EU, is it the right time to
raise issues like the territorial and aerial space in the Aegean?

16:00-17:00: Break



17:00- 19:00

European Studies Centre Annual Lecture in association with
the South Eastern European Studies Programme delivered by the
Prime Minister of Turkey Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan


The conference is open to the public. There is =A325 registration fee,
which also includes lunch and coffees. Attendance is free for
students.
Further details on Programme and Conference speakers as well as
access and venue for the European Studies Centre /SEESP Annual
Lecture will follow.

To register, contact SEESP

South East European Studies Programme
European Studies Centre, St Antony's College
OXFORD OX2 6JF UK
tel: 44(0)1865-274470
fax: 44(0)1865-274478
e-mail: SEESP@s...
website: http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/areastudies/southeasteur.shtml