Petros Molyviatis

The following conversation with Petros Molyviatis may have taken place 20 years ago, but it could just as well have been yesterday. This is not only because the agenda of Greek-Turkish relations has been shaped since the 1970s, with the fundamental differences that emerged back then remaining unbridged - and Turkey persistently adding new ones.

The news came from the opposite shore of the Aegean, from Ayvalik: the ancestral home of Elias Venezis, a prominent Greek writer of the past century, is on the verge of collapse. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

In 1984, “Eleni” divided Greece yet again, reigniting civil passions. The book, a product of extensive research and based on hundreds of verified testimonies, tells the true story of Eleni Gatzogianni from Lia, Epirus. Eleni, a simple village woman, became a universal legend due to the immense success of the book written about her tragic fate by her son, Nikos Gatzogiannis.

September 17-21, 1975. Official visit of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to Greece (Athens and Thessaloniki). Substantial talks with Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis, in a warm atmosphere. Dinner at the Presidential Palace. Greek civilization and French enlightenment.

Greece geared up for its fifth election in six years with a poll on Aug. 28 showing leftist leader Alexis Tsipras in the lead for re-election despite a wave of defections from his Syriza party.

"Today the great electoral battle begins. The Greek people will give a strong mandate for the present and the future," Tsipras said in a statement to Avgi, the Syriza daily.