Maybe so but they are entirely different countries currently in the things that matter.

> entirely different countries currently in the things that matter.

I don't know, there seems to be quite some common ground when it comes to food and drink, for example. That's part (and the result) of some shared culture, I'd say. Isn't it nice to realize that your neighbors might be people just like you are, who like to take their coffee in quite a similar way?

Different countries ... with a common heritage.

Maybe during history lessons you preferred a good beauty sleep instead of paying attention to the class :)

If you don't see a lot of overlap between Greek and Turkish culture ... not sure what to say.

Over a million "Greeks" were deported to Greece in the 1920s, despite many speaking only Turkish and many "Turks" were sent back the other way. Not to mention that most of those inhabiting Turkey today - and identifying as Turks - have an awful lot of non-Turkish ancestry. It's not only Greek of course (plenty of Armenian, Kurdish, Arab, Albanian, Circassian, Bulgarian, etc), but Greeks and Greek culture has had a massive imprint on modern Turkey - and Turks have also had an impact on modern Greek culture.

Of course neither side is particularly happy to admit it, but it's very much there.

Greeks are Christians, Turks are Muslims. For starters.

That's a bit of a tautology because the population exchange was done on the basis of religion, not language. There were plenty of Greek speaking muslims and Turkish speaking orthodox christians before 1915.

Many parts of Turkey and N Cyprus still speak Greek in secret

That is both a difference and a similarity. Both are way closer to each other than any two random religions on average.

Perhaps you don't realize that the heart of ancient Greece was really in what we now call modern-day turkey

> They lived in close proximity for a good part of a millennium.

And? That doesn't imply common heritage.

> Do you think they haven't influenced each other?

That doesn't imply common heritage.

Also if you talking about the ottoman empire. isn't the greek position that the ottoman empire was bad for them and hence why they sought independence?

Or are you saying that greece should rejoin the ottoman empire and embrace the "common heritage"?

> And? That doesn't imply common heritage.

Western Turkey was inhabited by large Greek populations and colonies for a very long time, which was one of the reasons behind the Persian War. During the Hellenistic era, the Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic kingdom, ruled most of modern-day Turkey. And then from the Roman era to 1453, the area remained largely Greek-speaking, with Constantinople (aka Istanbul) the center of Greco-Roman civilization, with the citizens thereof actually called "Greeks" by many peoples.

Of course the Arabic and Turkic invasions introduced new peoples and changed things up quite a bit, but there's definitely common heritage between many people in Turkey and the Greeks, to the extent that many 'Turks' citizenship-wise are ethnic Greeks and other ethnic groups that spoke Greek and had a long participation in the Greek and Roman kingdoms.

They share food, words, customs and attitudes. That's the common heritage.

Joining Ottoman empire is just a non sequitur.

No. It's just pointing out the obvious. When you say greek heritage, I assume ancient greece, I don't assume ottoman empire. When you say turkish heritage, I think central asian steppes and ottoman empire. Last I checked, the ottoman empire was a turkish empire, not a greek one.

Perhaps it's just the language difference. For example, nobody here would say the native americans and non-native americans have the same heritage. We've been living with natives for hundreds of years, but certainly american heritage stems from britain while native american heritage doesn't. You'd be mocked ( a la Elizabeth Warren ) or canceled if you claimed american native heritage when you are not native american.

Seems like a lot of people are upset for no reason. But when politics and identity are involved, that's just what happens.

>That doesn't imply common heritage.

spot the american.

Guilty as charged.

So you think australia and indonesia have a common heritage because they are neighbors, but the US and australia don't because we live an ocean away?

It's so funny, I was genuinely interested in this topic as my understanding of greece and turkey was one of conqueror and conquered, not "common heritage". I thought maybe there was history/ties/etc I was missing, but apparently it's just some politically driven people spewing nonsense.

Perhaps foreigners just don't know what "common heritage" means.

Spot the foreigner.

Edit: As I noted in my other comment, to say greeks and turks share the same heritage is like saying americans and native americans share the same heritage. American heritage stems from britain, but no sane person would claim that native american heritage comes from britain. I don't think any sane person would associate the ottoman empire with greeks. They would associate it with the turks because it was a turkish empire. I bet most greeks see their heritage as ancient greece.

The American educational system has really failed this one

The conqueror and conquered relationship has been about the 40% of aforementioned millennium.

The rest they have been allies, mercenaries, enemies,trading partners, etc...

It's far more nuanced than a single relationship type.

That solves it then, you are Greek-American never went to a Greek school. Well Greek history books are available freely online/