OPINION

On ‘Macedonia,’ Libya, the Tatoi estate

What’s in a name?

The Greek government’s boorish and totally reactionary attitude toward Macedonia defies reason and humanity, ideas Greeks ironically pioneered. The notion that Macedonia, a poor mountainous nation with less than 1/10th Greece’s population, somehow «threatens» Greece because it wants to call itself by the same name as the bordering Greek province is absurd, makes no sense, and has made Athens a laughing stock.

The Belgian province bordering Luxembourg is called… Luxembourg. Even used to be part of the independent principality. You don’t see Brussels having a hissy fit and demanding that Luxembourg «change its name.”

Progressive-minded people should reject this backward, chauvinist harassment of Macedonia. Get over it, Athens. You have bigger problems!

JOHN MAVRAKIS

Greece at the International Court of Justice

I wonder if the Greek Foreign Ministry’s legal counsel, Maria Telalian, told the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the real and only name of FYROM, which is Vardar.

I wonder if the Greek counsel brought out the written evidence which showed an internationally recognised Vardar on the world maps before 1945, and before the Yugoslav leader at the time — Tito, went on a schizophrenic rampage to rewrite the history books of Macedonia, which is 100% Greek, and located wholely within the Greek borders, with Tito christening Vardar as Macedonia and the Vardaski people as Macedonian, in a vigorous effort by the Yugolslav authorities from that time onward to undermine Greece and the Western alliance, and grab historic Greek lands from Greece for Yugoslavia and now FYROM.

GERRY MAVRIE-YANAKI

Greece’s involvment with Libya

I am perplexed by Greece’s current economic condition. So much socialism. Look at what is happening in Wisconsin with the new Republican governor. Maybe your Parliament should study this a little closer.

My parents were born in Greece. I love to visit Greece every once and a while. Why can’t this country figure out a way to keep Greeks in Greece? WWII happened over 60 years ago. Your country is more communist than Russia is today. Why in the world do you always criticize the USA? If it wasn’t for England and the USA Greece would be a German state. Now you owe billions of euros to Germany. Shame on you.

Germany almost exterminated Greece and now you are begging them for money. Unbelievable.

If NATO wants to use your bases to get rid of a thug in Libya, you should be cheering all the way to the bank. Don’t you remember that Greece was under Arab control only 190 years ago. Arabs are not your friends. Especially the Dictators in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, etc. Get on the bandwagon. Libya is in your back yard. Do you ever look at a map?

My name is Alexander Pamphilis. A proud American who also happens to love Greece.

Please make Greece a better place to live and maybe some of us might come back and live there.

ALEXANDER PAMPHILIS

USA

Tatoi Estate ?left to ruin?

As regards the confiscation of the former royal estate for alleged unpaid taxes and unspecified debts, I remember very well at the time that King Constantine was able to produce evidence of payments that had been made for all taxes and also that he was paying for the upkeep of the house.

After the Greek state got their hands on it, the estate has been left to ruin, most likely due to indifference and political point-scoring.

Much better to have left it in the hands of the former owners, let them turn it back into a home and live there with the cultural elements and even as a base for the Anna-Maria Foundation which has helped many people and organisations in Greece.

ALEXANDROS DEARGES-CHANTLER

The NATO/UN intervention in Libya once again reminds us that Greece’s geographic location has imparted on it an importance out of proportion to its size. Both world wars and the cold war demonstrated that Greece is vital for security in the Balkans, southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Indeed, as World War II proved, military operations in north Africa are difficult or almost impossible without bases in southern Europe to operate from. Straddling the Mediterranean, one of the busiest areas of sea traffic in the world, makes Greece vital as well. Greece was on the front line against Axis expansion in World War II, Communist expansion during the cold war, and is today on the same front line against the poverty and political oppression of much of the Middle East. As one of the only developed countries and functioning democracies in the region of southeastern Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East, Greece cannot be allowed to fail. The price would be too much for western Europe and the US to pay if it does.

PETER KATES

USA

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.