Uproar in Thrace! 66 locals warn “Inaction brings war
Sixty-six citizens from Thrace signed an open letter warning that appeasement toward Turkey's expansionist claims could lead to war, urging Greece to take a more decisive stance.
Forty-eight hours after the publication of the open letter, the debate in Thrace has not subsided. Sixty-six citizens, including scientists, academics and professionals from different areas of the region, decided to take a public stand.
The text they co-signed leaves no room for misinterpretation. They argue that appeasement does not bring peace and that continued inaction in the face of Ankara’s expansionist plans could lead to dangerous developments.
The signatories describe a situation where Turkey systematically pursues its claims, while on the Greek side a sense of complacency prevails. Especially in Thrace, where residents experience the pressures and provocations daily, the concern is more intense.
“Appeasement does not produce peace. Inaction brings war,” they note characteristically in their text, as Fonirodopis.gr reports.
The authors of the letter emphasize the need for a more decisive stance that protects Greek interests and the country’s sovereignty.
Many of the signatories have a long history in the region and know firsthand the particularities of Greek-Turkish relations on the ground. They do not limit themselves to generalities, but connect the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean with what is happening in Thrace.
Their intervention comes at a time when Turkish provocations continue, while at the same time there are discussions about dialogue and “good relations.” The Thracians who signed the text appear to believe that such approaches without clear limits and red lines encourage the other side.
So far the letter has provoked reactions and comments at local and national level. Some characterize it as belated but necessary, while others express concern that it may be considered “war” rhetoric. The signatories themselves, however, make clear that their goal is prevention and not escalation.
This move shows that on the front line of the national issue, the citizens of Thrace do not remain uninvolved. They demand from Athens greater vigilance and a policy that leaves no room for misinterpretation by the Turkish side.
The letter and the signatures
“Turkey’s permanently expansionist plans against Hellenism, as we experienced them in 1974 with its invasion of Cyprus and since then with the de facto questioning of our sovereignty in the Aegean and beyond, will soon take a new form. With a decisive step to expel Hellenism from the Aegean, Ankara is legislating, defining issues concerning our birth sea as if it were part of Turkish territory. From now on, Turkey’s state structures and services will have a say in matters concerning the Greek parts of the Aegean and later its islands as well.
Turkey’s intentions and actions are fueled by the chronic appeasement and consequent inaction of Greek governments as well as the entire power system. So now, we find ourselves facing a new danger: transformation of the modern Greek state into a neo-Ottoman vilayet, loss of national territory, expulsion of Greeks from the Aegean and its islands. After the annihilation of Hellenism from the opposite coast, we are facing a new historical retreat.
Being citizens of free but forgotten Thrace, most of us descended from ancestors who were Eastern Thracians, Asia Minor Greeks and Pontians who survived persecutions, ethnic cleansing and genocides, we are worried and we rebel. We are worried and we rebel, mainly regarding the stance of Athens, which at these critical moments is preoccupied with other matters.
We demand that the Government and the entire political system assume their responsibilities and do what is necessary to defend the country. To denounce, first and foremost, Turkey’s expansionist actions everywhere with severity and to proceed immediately with actions that will restrain Turkish revisionism. Appeasement does not produce peace. Inaction brings war.”
The signatures
- Aggelonias Theodoros, geologist, Alexandroupoli
- Amanatidis Dimitris, agronomist, Komotini
- Ampatzoglou Giannis, Medical Physics PGNA, Alexandroupoli
- Antoniadis Gavriil, livestock farmer, Xanthi
- Asimakopoulos Vyron, professor of Medicine, Alexandroupoli
- Ahmet Cem, worker, Netherlands/Komotini
- Vamvakidis Michalis, retiree, Xanthi
- Varsamis Giannis, public employee, Xanthi
- Vrachiolias Stratos, psychologist, Alexandroupoli
- Georganta Anastasia, retiree, Komotini
- Gialantzi Elsa, educator, Komotini
- Gkazinos Kostas, veterinarian, Xanthi
- Gkotzaridis Kostas, civil engineer, Komotini
- Gkourgkounis Christos, firefighter, Alexandroupoli
- Gkourlitsas Giorgos, retiree, Xanthi
- Danka Georgia, public employee, Komotini
- Darginidis Dimitris, private employee, Vienna/Xanthi
- Doropoulos Vangelis, teacher/musician, Xanthi
- Zafeiridis Giorgos, freelancer, Komotini
- Zisidou Matina, freelancer, Alexandroupoli
- Thanou Despoina, assistant nursery nurse, Komotini
- Theodoridis Christos, PE teacher, Xanthi
- Kalodimidis Paris, geologist, Komotini
- Karaiskos Kosmas, journalist, Komotini
- Karaiskos Kostas, retiree, Komotini
- Karakolidis Panagiotis, educator, Komotini
- Karampatzakis Vasilis, retiree, Alexandroupoli
- Karkanis Giorgos, retiree, Xanthi
- Kelesis Giorgos, anesthesiologist, Komotini
- Kourtouma Maria, healthcare worker, Komotini
- Kousinidis Charis, educator, N. Orestiada
- Koutsomichali Zoi, private employee, Xanthi
- Magginas Nikos, lawyer, Soufli
- Memetali Irfan, freelancer, Xanthi
- Mehmet Zekriye, cleaner, Komotini
- Mitsiou Dimitrios, lawyer, Komotini
- Balaktsis Christos, correctional officer, Xanthi
- Nathanailidis Stavros, public employee, Xanthi
- Nerantzaki Eleni, private employee, Alexandroupoli
- Nikiforidis Dimitris, neurologist, Xanthi
- Xanthou Chrysa, educator, Komotini
- Panoskaltsis Vasilis, professor at Polytechnic School of DUTh, Xanthi
- Pantsoglou Panagiotis, freelancer, Xanthi
- Paparadis Thanasis, freelancer, Alexandroupoli
- Papavasiliou Stavroula, lawyer, Komotini
- Papagiannis Grigoris, professor at DUTh, Komotini
- Paschalidou Anastasia, private employee, Alexandroupoli
- Pafis Giorgos, professor at DPESS, Komotini
- Rodiati Anastasia, educator, Komotini
- Saridou Aristea, freelancer, Komotini
- Selisiou Konstantia, public employee, Alexandroupoli
- Simsiris Giorgos, freelancer, Alexandroupoli
- Stavrakidis Angelos, freelancer, Alexandroupoli
- Stavridis Thomas, retired military officer, Komotini
- Stergiou Savvas, retired military officer, Alexandroupoli
- Stoikou Stella, public employee, Komotini
- Terzanidis Dimitrios, freelancer, Xanthi
- Terzanidis Kostas, educator, Xanthi
- Tzouvaras Thanasis, freelancer, Alexandroupoli
- Tsagkoudis Dimos, retiree, Didymoteicho
- Tsamoglou Despoina, lawyer, Vienna/Xanthi
- Tsafaridis Alexis, paramedic, Komotini
- Tsiligiri Dora, retiree, Komotini
- Folias Dimitris, educator, Komotini
- Chalkia Dafni, health visitor, Samothraki
- Chatzidimitriou Giorgos, retiree, Xanthi
