ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of disaster diplomacy literature. It describes the historical context of Greek–Turkish enmity and amity, followed by the 1999 earthquakes. The chapter also provides some views from the people within the wider context of Greek–Turkish earthquake diplomacy, leading to the case study interpretation of how little disaster diplomacy influenced or could have influenced disaster governance. In March 1999, a long-simmering and violent conflict in Kosovo led to NATO air strikes against Serbia and the mass migration of Kosovars out of Kosovo as Serbia tried to assert its control. This Kosovo crisis threatened to destabilise the Balkans but opened communications channels between Greece and Turkey. The public's legitimisation, through the post-earthquake outpouring on each side of support for the 'other', enabled the Greek decision-makers to open the EU door to Turkey in the EU Summit held in Helsinki in December 1999.
