The German media continue to refer to the Greek offer to help Turkey after the deadly earthquakes. de-escalation of tensions between the two countries and the possibility of resurrecting “earthquake diplomacy”.

A commemorative event was held in Berlin yesterday afternoon to commemorate the victims of the earthquakes, during which the Turkish-born Minister of Agricultural Economics, Cem Ezdemir, said that “Greece has offered Turkey immediate assistance and perhaps it is time to end the rivalry. “

“An Opportunity for Peace: Greece Shows Solidarity with a Sworn Enemy – How an Earthquake in Turkey Quells Aegean Conflict,” is the title of an analysis by Stern magazine, which notes that “a devastating earthquake casts aside hostile actions and possibly enemies to even be able to make friends.” .” As the article highlights, Greece was one of the first to respond to Turkey’s call and help the victims of the earthquake. “Help from Greece is probably of great importance also because the rescuers are well trained and have the necessary experience due to the frequent earthquakes in Greece “, the editor reports, adding that Greece has already sent dozens of tons of humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria. In addition, special attention is paid to social media posts with the hashtag “teşekkürleryunanistan” (“Thank you Greece”).

📌 Humanitarian Aid Mission from #Hellas V #Turkey #earthquake

✈️ The first shipment was delivered at dawn from @StylianidesEU

📦 Health and medical equipment and essentials

📄 https://t.co/7wOWmQaXev#EUCivPro @GreeceInTurkiye @TC_Atina pic.twitter.com/PmBtaGDxqt

— Civil Protection GR (@GSCP_GR) February 9, 2023

“The devastating earthquakes may be an opportunity for a new start in relations between the two countries. This week, Mitsotakis and Erdogan are talking again after almost ten months when the Turkish president cut off all contact. It is far from certain that this will be enough to turn hostile neighbors into friends. However, the current situation shows that despite the difficult relationship, people in Greece care about the Turks and that solidarity is more important than political differences. The “enemy Greece” narrative that Erdogan has been using for years is now likely to lose all basis thanks to the great solidarity shown by the Greeks.. Moreover, for Erdogan, the first concern will be the solution of problems in his country, and not the continuation, and even more so the escalation of the conflict with Athens,” Stern concludes in the article.

On the website of the second channel of the German public television ZDF, a report was published with the title “Help from Greece” and the subtitle “Despite numerous frictions, Greece sent rescue teams to Turkey. The support of citizens in Greece is great. President Erdogan and Prime Minister Mitsotakis spoke again.” The report, which was also shown on the channel’s TV program, documents the efforts of Greek rescuers in Turkey and the tons of humanitarian aid that has already been sent to the affected areas from Greece. “The political confrontation with Turkey, the military threats of the Turkish President are put aside, given the scale of the disaster. The tone of the Greek prime minister was conciliatory even on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels,” the report says. “Many remember the offensive after the 1999 earthquakes. Then they started talking about “earthquake diplomacy.” Now there is great hope that this time there will be a rapprochement between the Greeks and the Turks. No matter how incredible it may seem, but the people in the disaster zone, especially in these difficult days, experience one thing: that hope always dies last, ”the publication emphasizes.

The Stuttgarter Zeitung publishes an article titled “Will Enemies Become Friends Now?” and talks about the memories of 1999, when the earthquakes brought the two countries closer at the political level. “Is there a re-approach window now? Both peoples have this hope, but there are no tangible signs yet. Never in the past 50 years have both sides taken such a hard line as they do today. But the political composition in Ankara also differs from 1999. If Ismail Cem had a real friendship with Elina Papandreou, then Mevlut Cavusoglu is one of the troublemakers in Ankara. Today the situation is different also because President Erdogan needs Greece as an enemy at the beginning of the election campaign to attract a nationalist electorate – especially since he is now under pressure due to the failure of Turkish civil protection. In addition, the approach is more complicated, as the list of contentious issues is much longer today than in 1999,” the editor emphasizes in his analysis.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung describes the rescue of a six-year-old girl by Greek firefighters and a photo of a Greek and Turkish rescuers carrying a child. “And just such a photo is a good sign at a time of political tension between the two neighboring countries,” the message says.

RES-EMP source