International relations professor Constantinos Filis (l) and Turkish Culture Ministry official Zeynep Boz. [Stavros Giannoulis]
An unexpected statement from the Turkish side last May supporting Greece’s bid for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures pointed the way forward. Zeynep Boz, the head of the Turkish Culture Ministry’s department for combating antiquities theft, confirmed that there is no such document as the firman cited by the British side to claim possession of the marble fragments taken by Lord Elgin.
On Monday, Boz attended an important meeting at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the 4th Greek-Turkish Media & Academy Forum, an initiative of the Institute of Global Affairs (IGA) of the American College of Greece in cooperation with the Turkiye Research Foundation (TAV). The aim is to foster mutual collaboration and understanding, emphasizing that, beyond the differences between the two countries, there are numerous shared values. Who better to demonstrate this than the people in culture and sports, who often experience it profoundly in their own lives?
The keynote speaker, international relations professor and expert Constantinos Filis, highlighted that sports and culture are sensitive topics because they touch on issues of identity, self-determination and how we are perceived by others. They can underscore national, racial, religious and even fan-based pride. On the other hand, they offer an opportunity to underscore shared values, and we must ensure that biased views do not prevail.
In her comprehensive speech, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni noted that “the aim today is to forge a relationship of cultural cooperation in 21st-century terms. To reintroduce ourselves, if you will. To cast culture as a value in itself, ideally detaching it from ulterior motives.”
The culture panel also included Acropolis Museum Director Nikolaos Stampolidis, who is deeply knowledgeable about Turkey and who called for equal standards in the documentation and interpretation of information in the explanatory materials of the neighboring country’s museums. He went on to note that Lord Elgin’s removal of the Parthenon Sculpture was a “private initiative, for his own benefit,” arguing that “a state cannot condone an illegal action by one of its nationals, even if it did take place in the past.” Other speakers included Marmara University Professor Neval Konuk Halacoglu, who is an expert on the subject of the Ottoman legacy in Greece and on the history of architecture, and Antonia Zervaki, an assistant professor of international relations at Athens University.
Another highlight of the event was the speech by Ergin Ataman, the Turkish basketball coach who took Greece’s Panathinaikos all the way to the top of the EuroLeague this year. He spoke sincerely about the love he has received from the public in Greece.
“I have a habit of taking long walks in any country where I work. However, I wondered how a Turkish coach would feel in Greece. I was surprised to find that in Athens and across the country, people stop me to take photos with me; in restaurants and hotels, they treat me. I receive love, and not only from sports fans,” said Ataman, who experienced the same warm reception even in Cyprus. He went on to suggest that Greece and Turkey organize joint matches.
A similar spirit was conveyed by the captain of the Greek national soccer team, Tasos Bakasetas, who has also played with the Turkish clubs Alanyaspor and Trabzonspor. He confessed that he had some reservations at first about playing with Turkish teams, but the heartfelt affection he received from fans and locals soon made him reconsider.
The sports panel also featured Turkish businessman Adnan Polat, president of the Greek-Turkish Business Council and former president of Galatasaray, who highlighted the unifying power of sports, as well as Georgios Tzavellas, who is the sporting director of Panathinaikos’ soccer club and also a former player for Trabzonspor.
