There are those (just a handful, thankfully) who are questioning the value of the prime minister’s visit to Turkey. They believe that no Greek prime minister should visit Turkey after Constantine Karamanlis. They have always feared any contact with the neighboring country, but their fears have been refuted and now they are banging the same old drum on the occasion of Costas Karamanlis’s visit.

Others (again, just a few) believe that the timing is not right for a Greek prime minister to visit Turkey. They cannot say when that time may be, though they do raise the suspicion that, in their minds, there will never be a suitable time. It is, essentially, the same fear dressed in different words. Their fears will be contradicted too.

Greece has nothing to be afraid of. It has clearly stated its rights: to the United Nations, to Brussels and to Ankara. The prime minister’s visit may not yield any impressive results because of Turkey’s political stance, but it is a positive step toward good-neighborly relations. And this is something both Greece and Turkey need.