One of the Mediterranean's most volatile couples seem to have at last been reconciled - and in the style of time-keeping beloved of southern Europeans, it is only about 600 years late.
Greece and Turkey's wide-ranging alliance, which was finalised recently through the signing of 21 bilateral agreements in Athens, will mark a new era in strategic co-operation for the traditionally Mediterranean rivals.
What's more, if the "high-level co-operation council" of cabinet ministers continues to meet each year, as it did last weekend, Greece and Turkey might begin collaborating indefinitely on matters of energy, security, tourism and defence. As the Greek and Turkish flags flew side by side in Athens, the Greek prime minister George Papandreou welcomed his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayip Erdogan, whose 100-strong entourage of cabinet ministers and businessmen demonstrated the strength of Turkey's engagement. "I believe 2010 will go down in history," said Mr Erdogan. "Our countries showed the political will not only to be neighbours but also partners."
The rapprochement is a stark policy change for the two nations that have co-existed as often uneasy neighbours. A fractious Ottoman legacy, territorial disputes over land and sea, as well as other skirmishes, such as almost going to war over an uninhabited island in 1996, have hindered both sides from fully trusting one another. "Dog-fights should belong to the past," said Mr Papandreou after the weekend meeting. "We, as a country with so many islands, are afraid that Turkey could take from us a Greek island. Don't laugh. There is a fear. Can we push these fears away? Yes we can."
These days, the imminent fear of Greek debt default has trumped the fear of a Turkish threat for most Greeks, paving the way for a friendship that may prove far more amicable than that between any euro zone members. "Perceptions of Turkey will change in Greece after the way Germany treated the country," says Umit Kumcuoglu, the former vice president of JPMorgan Istanbul and private investment director who is an observer of changing European policy. "The rhetoric towards Turkey will soften and there will be a more symmetric relationship."
In the area of finance, this has already proven true. Last month, financial ministers from Ankara travelled to Athens to advise Greek politicians on "how to cut, where to cut and what to cut" to help reduce the country's deficit, said Mr Kumcuoglu. "From providing government capabilities to transparency, there are things to be learned on both sides."
And yet, while the financial crisis has hastened co-operation in some areas, Greece and Turkey's detente is just as much the product of recent months as it is of years of laborious diplomacy.
In 1999, Mr Papandreou, then the foreign minister, spearheaded a policy aimed at building collaboration with Turkey after his country delivered Abdullah Ocalan, the long-sought leader of the suspected Kurdish-Turkish terrorist group PKK, into Turkey's hands. A period of what was termed "earthquake diplomacy" followed that summer, when two devastating earthquakes hit both countries' capitals prompting emergency aid and an outpouring of public sympathy from both sides.
Since then, a steady stream of positive signs have followed, both large and small: Greece's support of Turkey's ultimately blocked EU membership bid in 2004; a signed memorandum of understanding to train military personnel together; pledges to build more gas pipelines (there is currently just one); as well as smaller gestures such as Mr Papandreou's recent pledge to build a mosque in Athens to demonstrate his commitment to the country's Muslim minority.
Trade volume has also steadily increased, which both prime ministers hope will surpass the US$5 billion (Dh18.36bn) mark this year.
And yet, reconciliation does not come without caveats: one of the deals that could not be made was a cut in defence spending, a continuous bone of contention that led to an unrestrained arms race between both states in the 1990s. Greece's budget has been leached by its military investment: at 2.8 per cent of its small GDP, it is one of the largest EU spenders on defence, well above the 1.7 per cent mark set by NATO. While Turkey maintains a more moderate spending policy, a reduction in weapons would serve to quell disquiet among the Turkish military, which has been unhappy with the country's Islamist-slanted Justice and Development Party since it came to power six years ago. Even as Mr Erdogan was en route to Athens, Turkish military jets flew into Greek airspace, sending a clear warning to both countries' ruling administrations.
Cyprus, home to the main territorial dispute between the two countries, is another potential stumbling block despite recent progress. During the recent conference, both prime ministers sought to distance themselves from the idea that their co-operation would pressure Cypriot leaders into quicker negotiations, and with due cause: a vote in the European parliament next month to allow Turkish Cyprus to trade with the EU could ostensibly unblock Turkey's membership bid, which Greece has strongly supported.
And yet, lingering doubts have been shoved aside for economic expediency. Greece's overwhelming debt needs to find a new home and with its credit rating shot, it needs to peddle its wares to more than just European leaders. Turkey, likewise, realises it remains in its best interest to exercise a "zero-problem" policy with its neighbour, both for economic and political gain.
Mr Papandreou remarked that the historic meeting between the two leaders earlier this month was "a sincere desire to move on and leave behind us the myths of the past in Greek-Turkish relations". However, there should be no doubt that the new mythology being created is just as much a creature of realpolitik as it is of goodwill.
@Email:MMetallidis@thenational.ae
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Dubai World Cup Carnival card:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 | 2,410 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
