ABSTRACT
The relaxation of tensions between Turkey and Greece since late 1999, the improved prospects for Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU), as well as new diplomatic initiatives to solve the Cyprus issue, constitute the most hopeful developments in recent TurkishGreek relations. To be sure, it is far from certain that the recent improvement in Turkish-Greek relations will yield the kind of progress that eluded Turkish and Greek leaders in the past. As their interests clashed in Cyprus for nearly half a century and in the Aegean since the early 1970s, rivalry and deep mistrust have been the hallmarks of Turkish relations with Greece for decades. Although periods of détente between the two countries have not been uncommon, they have also succumbed to sporadic crises: on three occasions since the 1970s, they nearly went to war against each other. Given this background, reconciling vital Turkish and Greek interests will present a formidable challenge.
