June 27, 1957
TITO ON BALKANS: Belgrade – Yugoslav President Field Marshal Josip Broz Tito appeared today on American television in an interview given to Columbia broadcasting while on the island of Brioni yesterday. Asked whether he believed the Balkan Treaty could be revived, Tito replied: «I do not see the need for it today. Specifically, the situation in the Balkans is such that relations between Greece and Turkey have become quite strained over Cyprus. Nevertheless, things are better than they were a few years ago. I believe there is no immediate danger. The Balkan Treaty has an ongoing influence. Although its military aspect has been marginalized, cooperation between the three countries has proved very useful on the economic, education and political levels. That is particularly true considering what relations between Greece and Yugoslavia and between Turkey and Yugoslavia were like before the treaty, which gave us the chance to get to know each other better and to put aside those factors that could divide us and to seek new elements that would bring us closer together.»
