- More by Michael Al-Said
The President of Greece, Prokopios Pavlopoulos met with his counterpart, General Michel Aoun in Beirut as part of his two-day official visit to Lebanon
Al-Sahawat Times | Ethical Global News from Oman and UAE | Donate HERE
Advertisement – Advertise here from OMR 100 / $275 USD
“Our great European family has not assumed the part of its responsibilities, based on its history and culture, as far as it concerns the war in the Middle East with significant consequences on the people and their fundamental rights,” President Pavlopoulos noted, referring to the ongoing wars in Syria, Yemen, Palestine and elsewhere across the region.
“Our countries and our peoples resist this lack of communication and mutual understanding bravely and decisively,” the Greek President noted. Pavlopoulos added that the bilateral relations between the two countries are “a resounding answer to those who claim that there is a conflict of civilizations.”
President Pavlopoulos reiterated Greece’s position on the situation in Lebanon, saying that “Greece and the Greeks support a united, powerful and peaceful Lebanon, in a thriving eastern Mediterranean, where all its peoples will coexist together, building their common future together.”
The Greek president also referred to the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, noting that it has already produced very positive results, and even more will follow.
Pavlopoulos will meet later with the country’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and tomorrow he is expected to visit the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, John I.
- Portugal | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN| DEMOCRATIC | PORTUGUESE | STABLE | Technically not a Mediterranean country, Portugal is a latin country exclusively on the Atlantic coast of south west Europe, however the Portuguese identify strongly as Mediterranean by culture.
- Spain | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN followed by Muslim, previously Muslim | DEMOCRATIC with a Royal Family | SPANISH, CATALAN, BASQUE | MOSTLY STABLE | Spain has stability problems in break away regions of Basque, Catalunya and Al-Andaluz. The latin country was a Muslim country for over 700 years and maintains a strong Arab and Islamic influence.
- Andorra | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRATIC | SPANISH | STABLE | Landlocked just off the Mediterranean cost this tiny nation sandwiched between Spain and France is definitely Mediterranean by culture.
- France | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRATIC | FRENCH, BASQUE, CORSICAN | STABLE | France has a break away province in Basque which straddles the Spanish boarder. Culturally France is far from traditional Mediterranean culture and sits as the odd one out in the Med.
- Monaco | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | MONARCHY | FRENCH | STABLE
- Italy | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRACY | ITALIAN, SICILIAN, SARDU, NAPULITANU | STABLE | Italy has break away provinces allover with the nation only unified in 1871. Stretching from the Swiss Alps to North Africa Italy has one of the most diverse climates in the Mediterranean.
- San Marino | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRACY | ITALIAN | STABLE | Sitting on the Italian peninsula San Marino is a micro state entirely surrounded by Italy and has no coast.
- The Vatican | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | ABSOLUTE AUTOCRASY | ITALIAN, LATIN | STABLE | Sitting on the Italian peninsula San Marino is a micro state entirely surrounded by Italy and has no coast.
- Cyprus | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY | GREEK, TURKISH | DIVIDED – FROZEN CONFLICT | Cyprus is divided into the independent EU member state of southern Greek Cyprus, Turkish Northern Cyprus and British controlled British Cyprus which is mainly a collection of military bases. The island has been in a frozen conflict divided by a UN buffer zone for decades.
- Malta | EUROPE | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRACY | MALTESE, ITALIAN | STABLE
BALKAN MEDITERRANEAN (Mainly War Torn, Democracies a mixture of Coptic Christianity and Islam) (9 independent nations)
- Slovenia | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRATIC | SLOVENIAN, SERBO-CROAT | WAR TORN – STABLE | Coming out of the Balkan wars relatively unscathed this Balkan state was the first to join the EU. (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Croatia | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRATIC | SERBO-CROAT (LATINICA) | WAR TORN – STABLE | Coming out of the 1992-2001 genocide and ethnic cleaning Croatia is still struggling with religious and ethnic partition and segregation with multiple border disputes. However an EU member since 2012 Croatia is riding a boom in tourism due to it’s magnificent coast line and bountiful Greek-style islands. (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Bosnia | BALKAN | MUSLIM | UN OCCUPIED – 3 Presidents representing the 3 large ethnicities | BOSNIAN (Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic script), TURKISH, ARABIC, ROMANY | WAR TORN – NON STABLE | The worst hit during the 1992 – 2001 genocides Bosnia is a failing state propped up by UN Occupation and international intervention. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Russia and the EU are all heavy influencers vying for control over the ancient lands that gives us the Pyramid of the Sun and a host of Islamic relics. Categorised by Croatia as “Asian Other” Bosnia is definitely more Middle-East than Europe (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Montenegro | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY | SERBIAN (Cyrillic) | STABLE | Popular tourist hotspot (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Serbia | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY with a Royal Family | SERBIAN (Cyrillic) | PARTLY STABLE | The largest of the Balkan States, Serbia is divided on clear lines with Coptic Christians making up the majority over all, but the Kosovo and Sandzak regions being a majority Muslim. Minority languages include: Albanian, Romany and Turkish. Serbia is a strong supporter of Russia. Serbia lost it’s mediterranean coast line to Montenegro in 2006. (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Macedonia | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY | MACEDONIAN (Cyrillic) | WAR TORN – MOSTLY STABLE | Macedonia has a large dispute with Greece’s South Macedonia with both nations claiming the province. Coptic Christianity has a light majority over Islam and minority languages include: Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish, Albanian, Romany. (Former Ottoman, Former Yugoslav)
- Albania | BALKAN | MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY, former Monarchy | ALBANIAN | STABLE | Albania has significant boarder disputes with all neighbours, a large Christian minority, mainly focused in the south of the country. Albania has large ethnic minority diaspora in all neighbouring countries. (Former Ottoman)
- Greece | BALKAN | CHRISTIAN | DEMOCRACY | GREEK | STABLE | EU member Greece is a little out of place in the Balkans with one of the regions lowest Muslim populations, and longest periods of war free peace and stability. Popular tourist hot spot Greece’s only major turmoil in recent years was its economic melt down following the 2008 global economic crash in which the EU has to bail the country out multiple times. (Former Ottoman)
- Turkey | BALKAN | MUSLIM | DEMOCRACY | TURKISH | STABLE | The Muslim majority secular state Turkey is a tourist hot spot and powerhouse of the Mediterranean with large diaspora in most of the other Balkan States. (Former Ottoman)
ARAB MEDITERRANEAN (Mainly Arab and Muslim) (9 independent nations)
- Syria | MUSLIM | ARABIC | WAR TORN | On going war continues to ravage Syria
- Lebanon | MUSLIM, CHRISTIAN | ARABIC, FRENCH | MOSTLY STABLE
- Palestine | MUSLIM | ARABIC | OCCUPIED and WAR TORN
- Israel | JEWISH | HEBREW, YIDDISH | WAR TORN | The only non-arab state in the Arab dominated East and Southern Mediterranean
- Egypt | MUSLIM | ARABIC | MOSTLY STABLE | A powerhouse of the Mediterranean, ancient Egypt needs no introduction. Popular tourist hotspot
- Libya | MUSLIM | ARABIC | WAR TORN | Libya was a financial powerhouse of the Mediterranean until the recent war which saw the country descend into chaos.
- Tunisia | MUSLIM | ARABIC, FRENCH | MOSTLY STABLE | Popular tourist hotspot
- Algeria | MUSLIM | ARABIC, FRENCH | MOSTLY STABLE
- Morocco | MUSLIM | ARABIC, SPANISH, FRENCH | STABLE | Breakaway region Western Sahara is recognised as independent by some nations. Popular tourist hotspot
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Al-Sahawat Times than ever but advertising revenues across the global media industry are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a total paywall. We want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Al-Sahawat Times’ independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe truly ethical media and an unbias perspective really matters.
“I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information.”
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, the future of ethical media and the futures of our staff and their families would be much more secure. For as little as £1, you can support Al-Sahawat Times and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
This story is available on:
APPLE NEWS | GOOGLE NEWS | AL-SAHAWAT TIMES
Talk to a journalist
Email: NewsDesk@alsahawat.com
Web: alsahawat.com
Follow Al-Sahawat Times
?Read it on FLIPBOARD
Views: 0
