Nikos Michailidis: Turkey Must Change for Peace to Exist

Pontos did not die. Romáika (Pontic Greek dialect) is still spoken in Trabzon, living through the lyra, memory, people who fear publicly declaring their identity, and a History that Turkey continues to deny. This was the powerful message of Dr. Nikos Michaelidis’ anthropology interview with Christos Konstantinidis, for the International Institute of Strategy.

Nikos Michaelidis, with Pontic roots, an academic career at Princeton, and a deep connection to the Pontic lyra, spoke frankly about everything: the present-day Pontos, the Greek-speaking communities of Trabzon, the Genocide, Turkish propaganda, Hagia Sophia, the Kurdish issue, the Middle East, and the future of Greece and Cyprus.

He clarified that Pontos today is not merely a memory. It is the remembrance of a historic homeland where Greek communities lived for centuries and created a great Greek Orthodox culture. But it is also something alive: the people in the Trabzon region who still speak Romáika.

Michaelidis emphasized that there are still traces of Pontic, Romáika, and Greek identity in historic Pontos. There are people who know their Greek origins. There are even cases of individuals who have turned to Orthodoxy. However, he warned that the Greek side should not demand actions from these people that could endanger them.

“They do not live in a democratic and free country. They are at risk,” he stated. This is especially significant because Turkey remains a state that does not easily tolerate different memories and identities.

His reference to the case of the two Greeks who unfurled a flag inside Hagia Sophia was also firm. Michaelidis described their imprisonment by Turkish authorities as excessive. However, he also stressed that their act did not help the situation. On the contrary, it gave Turkish propaganda a pretext to portray Greeks as allegedly expansionist.

As he explained, Turkey knows very well how to take such incidents and transform them into a narrative. A slogan like “Orthodoxy or Death” can be deliberately mistranslated and presented as a threat. That is how propaganda works. It takes an image, distorts it, and turns it into a weapon.

At the same time, Michaelidis recalled what happens every May 19th in Thessaloniki, when Turkish visitors appear with Kemal flags and chant “We are soldiers of Kemal.” An image he described as aggressive and fascistic but one that does not provoke the reaction it should from the Greek government.

A large portion of the interview was dedicated to the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos. Nikos Michaelidis was clear: international recognition does not happen with words. It requires work, research, political will, documentation, and alliances. The Pontic movement broke the silence, but the Greek state did not do what was necessary.

His reference to Turkey was even sharper. Unless it recognizes its crimes, it will not change its political culture. And as long as it does not change, it will continue to view other peoples as threats. It will continue to exercise violence against those who do not fit into the Turkish national narrative.

Michaelidis cited Germany as an example, which recognized Nazi crimes precisely to prevent their recurrence. Turkey, by contrast, has never recognized the crimes against Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians. And for this reason, as he said, it continues to reproduce violence, as we also see against the Kurds.

The interview also had a strong cultural dimension. Nikos Michaelidis spoke about the Pontic lyra not as a mere musical instrument, but as a symbol of memory. He described how he grew up listening to the lyra, playing daily within the “Akrites of Pontos” association in Stavroupoli. For him, the lyra is part of his identity.

In Turkey, however, Pontic music has been targeted by state policy. As he said, the Turkish state took songs from the Pontic repertoire, dressed them with Turkish lyrics, and tried to present them as Turkish Black Sea music. The same was done with Kurdish, Armenian, and Laz songs.

Michaelidis explained that this is not a simple musical evolution. It is political appropriation. It is an effort to erase origin, alter memory, and incorporate every local identity into the Turkish narrative.

His reference to the Kurdish issue was also of special importance. He personally witnessed hunger strikes, persecution, repression, and clashes in Kurdish neighborhoods of Constantinople. As he said, there he understood what the Turkish state means, but also what resistance means.

On the geopolitical side, Nikos Michaelidis estimated that developments in the Middle East, especially the weakening of Iran, may gradually reduce Turkey’s importance for the West. This, he emphasized, could work in favor of Greece and Cyprus. As Turkey’s role diminishes, the chances for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean increase.

Nonetheless, he did not hesitate to say that he has recently seen a more positive turn in Greek foreign policy towards Turkey and in collaborations with important countries in the region, despite the strong criticism he has made of the government.

In the end, Nikos Michaelidis’ message to young people was simple but significant: to love knowledge, science, work, to see the world, but to remain rooted in their tradition. Being Pontic, he said in his own way, does not only mean dance and song. It means memory, work, production, creativity, and future.

The final conclusion of the interview was clear and powerful: Pontos is not the past. It is a living part of Hellenism. And Turkey, if it truly wants to become a normal country, must change.

It must recognize the Genocide. Respect the peoples and minorities living within it. Abandon expansionism. Stop building its identity on denial and fear. Because as long as Turkey denies History, it will continue to produce violence. And as long as Turkey does not change, genuine peace in the region cannot exist.