Greece–Italy relations
Greece |
Italy |
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Greece and Italy share common political views about the Balkans, the Mediterranean Basin and the world, and are leading supporters of the integration of all the Balkan nations to the Euro-Atlantic family, and promoted the "Agenda 2014",[6] which was proposed by the Greek Government in 2004 as part of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki, to integrate the Western Balkan nations into the EU by the year 2014, when Greece and Italy assumed the rotating Presidency of the European Union for the first and second halves of 2014, respectively.[7][8][9]
The two countries are
History
19th century
Greece (which had
Throughout the 19th century, Italian philhellenes continued to support Greece politically and militarily. For example, Ricciotti Garibaldi led a volunteer expedition (Garibaldini) in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.[12] A group of Garibaldini, headed by the Greek poet Lorentzos Mavilis, fought also with the Greek side during the Balkan Wars.
20th century
In early 1912, during the Italo-Turkish War, Italy occupied the predominantly Greek-inhabited Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea from the Ottoman Empire. Although later with the 1919 Venizelos–Tittoni agreement, Italy promised to cede them to Greece, Carlo Sforza in 1920 renounced the accord.[13]
In 1913, after the end of the
During the
When the Italian fascists gained power in 1922, they persecuted the Greek-speakers in Italy.[17] In addition, the Greeks in Dodecanese and Northern Epirus, which back then were under Italian occupation and influence respectively, were persecuted.[18][19]
In 1923, the new Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini used the murder of an Italian general on the Greco-Albanian border as a pretext to bombard and temporarily occupy Corfu, due to Corfu's strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea.[20][21][22]
The Greek general
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Mussolini sought diplomatically to create "an Italian-dominated Balkan bloc that would link Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Hungary". Venizelos countered the policy with diplomatic agreements among Greek neighbours and established an "annual Balkan conference ... to study questions of common interest, particularly of an economic nature, with the ultimate aim of establishing some kind of regional union". This increased diplomatic relations and by 1934 was resistant to "all forms of territorial revisionism".[27] Venizelos adroitly maintained a principle of "open diplomacy" and was careful not to alienate traditional Greek patrons in Britain and France.[28] The Greco-Italian friendship agreement ended Greek diplomatic isolation and the beginning of a series of bilateral agreements, most notably the Greco-Turkish Friendship Convention in 1930. This process culminated in the signature of the Balkan Pact between Greece, Yugoslavia, Turkey and Romania, which was a counter to Bulgarian revisionism.[29]
Italy, an
21st century
Relations between the two countries have stayed strong in the 21st century. In December 2022, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni referred to the "close relationship" between Greece and Italy, mentioning the common issues, interests and approaches both countries share. She encouraged that Greece and Italy's cooperation and work together "must continue".[30] Meloni also said that she is "extremely interested in working to further enhance bilateral relations with Greece" to solve migration crises.[31] Meloni and Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met each other in Brussels on 15 December 2022. Meloni called the meeting "cordial and fruitful", while both gave a "shared will" to strengthen relations even further.[32] In September 2023, Meloni and Mitsotakis met in Athens to discuss cooperation in the fields of energy and migrant issues.[33]
Bilateral relations and cooperation
Greece is one of Italy's main economic partners and they co-operate in many fields, including judicial, scientific and educational, and on the development of tourism, an important sector in both countries. There are regular high-level visits between the two countries,[34] such as the visit of the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to Italy in July 2014,[35][36] and there are frequent contacts between the two countries at ministerial level on various matters concerning individual sectors.
Current projects between the two countries include the
Military collaboration
Greece and Italy are NATO allies and maintain a close military cooperation. The exercise "Italic Weld", which was a combined air-naval-ground exercise in northern Italy involving the United States, Italy, Turkey, and Greece, appears to have been one of the first exercises in which the new Italian Army orientation was tested.[37]
An Italian military contingent participated in a NATO mission to assist Greece in ensuring security during the 2004 Summer Olympics.[38]
The two countries, along with the United States, also are participating in large-scale military drills conducted on annual basis by non-NATO member
On March 27 2017, Italy participated in "Iniochus 2017" military exercise, which is organized annually by Greece, along with the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.[40][41]
Multilateral organizations
Both countries are full members of many international organizations, including
Cultural interaction
The Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies opened in Venice in 1951, providing for the study of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine history in Italy.
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Atene in Athens is responsible for promoting Italian culture in Greece.
In July 2014, an official artistic exhibition with the title "Italy – Greece: one face, one race" was inaugurated in Rome on the occasion of the passing of the EU Council Presidency from Greece to Italy.[42][43][44][45][46] The title of the exhibition refers to a Greek saying, "μια φάτσα μια ράτσα" (mia fatsa mia ratsa, cf. Italian una faccia, una razza), often used in Greece and Italy to express the perception of close cultural affinities between Greeks and Italians.[47] The term is often believed to have originated in the Italian-occupied Dodecanese Islands in an attempt to unite the people living there,[citation needed] however modern-day Greeks and Italians have since adopted the term for themselves.[47]
Ethnic minorities
Greeks have lived in southern Italy (
.Agreements
- Economic Cooperation (1949)
- Avoidance of double Taxation (1964)
- Delimitation of Continental Shelf Boundaries (1977)
- Protection of the Ionian Sea Marine Environment (1979)
- Cooperation against Terrorism, Organised Crime, and Drug Trafficking (1986)
Notable visits
- January 2006; state visit of the Greek President Karolos Papoulias to Rome.
- December 2006; Visit of the Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to Athens.
- March 2007; official visit of the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis to Rome.
- August 2007; meeting of the Greek Foreign Minister with her Italian counterpart Massimo D'Alema in Rome.
- September 2008; state visit of the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to Athens.
- August 2012; visit of the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to Rome.
- September 2012; visit of the Greek President Karolos Papoulias to Italy.
- October 2013; meeting of the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras with his Italian counterpart in Rome.
- July 2014; visit of the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to Italy.
- February 2015; meeting of the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras with his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi in Rome.
Transportation
The Italian ports of
Resident diplomatic missions
- Greece has an embassy in Rome and consulates-general in Milan and a consulate in Venice.
- Italy has an embassy in Athens.
-
Embassy of Greece in Rome
-
Embassy of Italy in Athens
See also
- Foreign relations of Greece
- Foreign relations of Italy
- Greek scholars in the Renaissance
- Greeks in Italy
- Italians in Greece (disambiguation)
- HVDC Italy–Greece
- Italian School of Archaeology at Athens
- History of Europe
- Roman Greece
- Greco-Roman culture
References
- ^ "Pavlopoulos and Mattarella confirm the longstanding Greek-Italian friendship (Παυλόπουλος και Ματαρέλα επιβεβαίωσαν τη μακρόχρονη ελληνοϊταλική φιλία)". documentonews.gr. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Pavlopoulos - Mattarella: Strong friendship and a common vision between Greece and Italy (Παυλόπουλος - Ματαρέλα: Δυνατή φιλία και κοινή οπτική μεταξύ Ελλάδας και Ιταλίας)". news247.gr. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Greece-Italy alliance (Ελλάδα-Ιταλία συμμαχία)". makthes.gr. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "A medal of honor for the Greek-Italian relations (Ενα παράσημο για τις ελληνοϊταλικές σχέσεις)". enet.gr. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Restrictions for Italian tourists are lifted (Original: Αίρονται οι περιορισμοί για τους Ιταλούς τουρίστες". Naftemporiki. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
Luigi Di Maio expressed his gratitude to the Greek people and the Greek government for their solidarity and support [to Italy] in tackling the pandemic, noting that the two countries are united by the deepest ties. (Original: Τις ευχαριστίες του στον ελληνικό λαό και την κυβέρνηση για την αλληλεγγύη τους και τη στήριξη στην αντιμετώπιση της πανδημίας εξέφρασε ο Λουίτζι ντι Μάιο, σημειώνοντας πως τις δύο χώρες ενώνουν βαθύτατοι δεσμοί.)
- ^ "Agenda 2014" (PDF). mfa.gr. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Italy Takes Over EU Presidency From Greece". noinvite.com. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "The Italian Presidency strongly supports the integration of the Western Balkans in the European Union". sep.gov.mk. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Greece's EU Presidency and the Challenge of Western Balkan Enlargement Policies in Light of the Crisis" (PDF). suedosteuropa.uni. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Israel hosts international air drill". upi.com. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "18 aprile 1861: Grecia" Documents on the establishment of diplomatic relationships with Italy Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Verzijl 1970, p. 396.
- ISBN 978-1350006621.
- ISBN 978-1842174623.
- ^ Plowman 2013, pp. 910.
- ^ Minority Rights Group International - Italy - Greek-speakers
- ^ Diplomatic documents relating to Italy's aggression against Greece ; the Greek White Book. American Council on Public Affairs. 1943. pp. 5–8.
- ^ Edward Capps (1963). Greece, Albania, and northern Epirus. p. 22.
- ^ Bell 1997, p. 68.
- The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 11 September 1923. p. 4. Retrieved 31 January 2013."... because there is not the slightest doubt that the real cause of trouble is that old disturbing "Adriatic question " which has been the cause of many Balkan troubles, and is likely to be the cause of many more."
- The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 September 1923. p. 6. Retrieved 31 January 2013. "But, though deprived of a base which would have made her control of the Adriatic more secure,..."
- ^ Klapsis 2014, pp. 240–259.
- ^ Svolopoulos 1978, pp. 343–348.
- ^ Kitromilides 2008, p. 217.
- ^ Svolopoulos 1978, p. 349.
- ^ Steiner 2005, pp. 499–500.
- ^ Svolopoulos 1978, pp. 349–350.
- ^ Svolopoulos 1978, pp. 352–358.
- ^ "Meloni refers to Italy's close relationship with Greece". 30 December 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Meloni: Greece and Italy can work on a solution to migration; sovereignty over Aegean Islands is undisputed". 23 November 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ De Palo, Francesco (15 December 2022). "Mediterranean matters: the Meloni-Mitsotakis bilateral". Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Bilateral relations, energy cooperation and migration dominate Mitsotakis-Meloni meeting". ekathimerini.com. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Ελληνική Δημοκρατία - Η Ελλάδα στην Ιταλία".
- ^ "PM Samaras has Luncheon with Italian PM Renzi in Florence". 18 July 2014.
- ^ "Banks drag general index 0.4 percent lower". www.ekathimerini.com. 22 November 2001.
- ^ "Chapter 9". NATO the first five years 1949–1954. NATO. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ "NATO begins security assistance for 2004 Olympics". nato.int. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "IAF, US Air Force hold largest joint-military exercise in Israel's history". 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Israel, UAE to fly together in Greek air force exercise". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ "Pilots from Greece, USA, Italy, Israel and the United Arab Emirates in the "Iniochus 2017" (Πιλότοι από την Ελλάδα, τις ΗΠΑ, την Ιταλία, το Ισραήλ και τα Ηνωμένα Αραβικά Εμιράτα στον "Ηνίοχο 2017")". The Huffington Post Greece. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ "Presidenza: Italia-Grecia: una faccia, una razza". EurActiv.It. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Italia, Grecia, Europa: Nell'arte una faccia, una razza". 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Ιταλία-Ελλάδα: Μια φάτσα, μια ράτσα". GreekReporter.gr. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Αποκαλύπτουν τις ομοιότητες Ελλήνων και Ιταλών με την Τέχνη". Newspaper Ethnos. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Una faccia, una razza. La Grecia, l'Italia e la passione per l'umanità". ArtAPartOfCulture.Net. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ a b Benigno, Franco (2006). "Il Mediterraneo dopo Braudel". In Barcellona, Pietro; Ciaramelli, Fabio (eds.). La frontiera mediterranea: tradizioni culturali e sviluppo locale. Bari: Edizioni Dedalo. p. 47.
- ^ "DNA Study Pinpoints when the Ancient Greeks Colonized Sicily and Italy". Forbes.
Sources
- Bell, P. M. H. (1997) [1986]. The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (2nd ed.). London: Pearson. ISBN 978-0-582-30470-3.
- Kitromilides, Paschalis M. (2008) [2006]. Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-3364-7.
- Klapsis, Antonis (2014). "Attempting to Revise the Treaty of Lausanne: Greek Foreign Policy and Italy during the Pangalos Dictatorship, 1925–1926". Diplomacy & Statecraft. 25 (2): 240–259. S2CID 153689615.
- Plowman, Jeffrey (2013). War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940–1941. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-78159-248-9.
- Steiner, Zara S. (2005). The Lights that Failed: European International History, 1919–1933. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-822114-2.
- Svolopoulos, Konstantinos (1978). "Η εξωτερική πολιτική της Ελλάδος". Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους, Τόμος ΙΕ': Νεώτερος ελληνισμός από το 1913 ως το 1941 (in Greek). Ekdotiki Athinon. pp. 342–358.
- Verzijl, J. H. W. (1970). International Law in Historical Perspective (Brill Archive ed.). Leyden: A. W. Sijthoff. ISBN 90-218-9050-X.