Love Thy Neighbour

As you know, that ain't always easy; just ask the Greek and Turkish people. However, following on from the Greek Prime Minister's (Costas Karamanlis) three day trip to Ankara last week to meet his Turkish counterpart (Recep Erdogan), an insight into perhaps why:

1453: The Ottoman Turks take the Byzantine capital Constantinople (now Istanbul).

1832: Greece wins independence from the Ottoman Empire, following a decade of war.

1897: Greece goes to war with Turkey over the island of Crete. It doesn't win.

1921-1923: Greeks invade Asia Minor but once gain get their arses kicked by the rock hard Turks.

1923: In line with the Treaty of Lausanne, Greece gives up all territory in Asia Minor and 2.3 million people (on both sides) undergo forced repatriation.

1930: Turkish leader, Kemal Ataturk and Greek leader, Eleftherios Venizelos, agree a peace pact.

1974: Turkey invades Cyprus after a short lived coup against the Cypriot president, archbishop Makarios, which was engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece. Thereafter followed the island's division with the two communities sharing the island. Greek-Cypriot in the south and Turkish-Cypriot in the north, which is still how it is today.

1987: Both countries come close to another dust up over oil drilling rights in the Aegean Sea. Turkey withdraws a seismic exploration ship from contested waters and agrees not to test in the vicinity if Greece follows suit. War is averted.

1996: Another near punch up. This time over the uninhabited islet Imia, again in the Aegean. US mediation avoids another potential war.

1999- February: Kurdish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan, is captured while leaving the Greek embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. He had been sheltering there which led to "tensions" between Turkey & Greece.

1999- August: Powerful earthquakes in both countries lead to a mutual sympathy and aid.

1999- December: Greece lifts its veto on Turkey joining the EU.

2004: Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, becomes the first Turkish premier to set foot in Greece for 16 years.

2005: Both countries agree to direct communications between two air bases covering the Aegean Sea, thereby avoiding dog fights between the two air forces.

2007- November: Both prime ministers inaugurate a natural gas pipeline to link the two countries.

2007- December: The two countries agree to expand military cooperation through high level visits, conducting joint missions in Nato, disaster assistance efforts and overseas peacekeeping duties.

2008: Greek Prime Minister, Costas Karamanlis, is the first Greek premier to visit Turkey in 59 years.