Residents in the broader area of Evros are boycotting shopping in Turkey demanding the release of the two Greek soldiers arrested last Thursday. This has triggered a big disappointment among shopkeepers on the other side of the borders as thousands of Greeks move every weekend to Turkey for shopping and other services.
The call to boycott was initiated by the president of the “Agriculture Breeders Party”, Vakis Tsiobanidis. “No Greek in Turkey until our soldiers are released. Economic boycott,” he posted on Facebook and the call spread like wild fire.
The post received hundreds of Shares with the effect that just a few people crossed the border on Saturday.
Screen shot from security camera recording the traffic at the border crossing of Kastanies.
Shopkeepers in Edirne (Adrianoupolis in Greek) reportedly complain to local authorities, the local press is talking about an “a abandoned city.” To serve the Greek visitors’ needs, shopping malls, hypermarkets and clinics have been established in Edirne, where thousands of Greeks flock every Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to the low prices.
A court in the city remanded custody for the two Greek soldiers on Friday and they are taken to local prison until their trial on Monday. They accidentally crossed into Turkey on Thursday due to severe weather conditions. Such accidents on both sides are not a rarity and are usually being solved within minutes and without arrests and trials.
Diplomatic talks between the two sides are running high, but it seems that the boycott is for the time being the most effective tool of pressure.
My Turkish friends I was a soldier in late 60ths by Edirne borders north from ano byssa with the 397 tank unit . We caught a Turkish soldier that time I felt sorry for him he was scare we treat him well . But we could keep him no holding place in base was very common Turkish soldiers to enter Greek territory . The reason is clear due to wet ground gets very foggy you can’t even see a meter away . I spend most of my millitary service there was long that time . Anyway we return your soldier to Edirne command . I never visit Edirne but I see the whole city on my spare time with my tank powerful telescopic lenses. . By the way we chase a Turkish commandos one night but he ran too fast to catch him . The honorable think for turkey is to return the two soldiers immediately because you never greece may catch more Turkish soldiers instead tell them to go back east . Also I remember another time A Jeep with an officer came by the border post taliking turkish to the Greek officer . When he realize was on the wrong side he put reverse buck to turkey 200 Kmh . Mistakes happen if Greece wants to spy the Turkish millitary installations they send the guys with the green berret .
Good! This is one great example of capitalism where everyone can agree willl work. Supply and demand. We demand they return the soldiers and then we will supply our cash to buy your cheap products again.
It saddens me that at a time when Greece needs all the help it can get, people cross border shop. I appreciate that the euro may go further there and one needs to be careful with money. The same is true in Canada where, by sheer economies of scale, things are cheaper in the U.S. it’s bad enough that you almost cannot find anything made in Canada any more. Corporations are always looking at yhe bottom line at the expense of everything else.
I hope that the boycott continues even AFTER the soldiers are returned.