Aw what a big brave hero you are behind your keyboard.
Since its safe to say neither of us will travel to meet each other to "deliver our messages" why don't you drop the tough guy persona.

When you come in here, Gayreek this Gayreek that, what did you expect, that we would pull out the welcome mat and break open a bottle of ouzo for you?
Aite pane gamisou koproskulo.

From Gayreek Navy to Gayreek Air Force?

It seems you have a thing for homosexuality.
Are you trying to come out of the closet?
It's ok, we are an accepting bunch around here. Feel free to let out all your pent up homosexual angst, freak.

No wonder the only person to welcome you in this thread was a Turk.

Go crawl back into your cave.

Gents, if you have noticed lately I have been trying to chill out. May I ask both Zeus and our new friend to try the same.

E.Iapetides
Welcome to the forum, but please stop with the "Gayreek" comments. It is simply non-constructive.

Zeus:
I'm asking you to stop with your comments as well. "I hope Russia rapes Georgia, go crawl back into your cave" etc...etc..

This was actually a good thread, lets keep it that way.

Thanks in advance, with all the appropriate smilies, and so-on.

BTW: Where the fuck is Deman?

Four turkish journalists were attaccked by osetian soldiers. Two of them were shot. Just watch the video till the end. It's unbelievable.

http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/modules/habervideo...488&cbQuality=1

They're not Ossetians anymore...they have russian passports. That makes them russian vassals. I was impressed by the Turkish journalists' relative calm after all hell broke loose.

The video says Levent Ozturk's condition is "still serious", but the la-*test*-('") news is that he's OK now & he just needs a week's rest.
http://www.radikal.com.tr/Default.aspx?aTy...rticleID=892874

International Press Institute:
http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/statements...MS1218723624931

What is that supposed to mean? Are they Vassals just because they feel closer to Russia than to Georgia?

If this is so, then the Kossovars are nothing than Albanian "Vassals", the Northern Cypriots are Turkish "Vassals" and so are the Muslims of western Thrace. And Turkey is indeed not shy in issuing Turkish passports to the latter.

The problem here is that of "Moral" relativity and everybody seems to be guilty of it. Turkey, the US, etc... supported the secession of Kossovo but at the same time they are against the independence of Abkhazia. On the other site, Russia was against the independence of Kossovo while they are ready to guarantee the Abkhaz independence.

Interestingly enough, it was the US, namely the Bush/Cheney administration that made a farce of international law. Their approach can be summed up with the words: Lawful is whatever suits our interests. It is not surprising that Russia now follows the same paradigm.

And a side note on "Russian Passports". All citizens of the former Union are entitled to Passports of the Russian federation since the latter is legally the successor of the former and all treaties of the USSR are still binding for the Russian Federation.

Besides, during the 70 years of the USSR people moved around the country. There are substantial Russian minorities in many former soviet republics and lately many of them choose to use their entitlement for Russian citizenship. That has nothing to do with being "Vassals" it has something to do with the fact that Russia is now a wealthy nation.

Just face it, there are more opportunities in Russia than in South Ossetia, or in Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan for that instance. It is Russia's economic rise that drives people to rediscover their "Russian Identity".

One of the dead over there was an ethnic Greek.

Fox News

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Fox news!

In God we trust!

What does this even mean? Are you speaking figuratively when you say "issuing passports"? Since when does the Turkish government issue passports to Turkish citizens of Greece?

no one in western thrace has turkish passports. Maybe some who live permanently in turkey for years.

Don't take my words out of context. I said that Turkey is not shy when it comes to issuing Turkish passports to western Thracian Muslims. In other words, if a western Thracian Muslim seeks Turkish citizenship, he can get it. In the eyes of the Turkish state he's an ethnic Turk and thus entitled to it. Of course they would require him to drop his Greek citizenship but that's not the point.

And neither is this a criticism of Turkish politics. Greece doesn't refuse citizenship to ethnic Greeks either. No matter where they were born. Germany does likewise. So how is it that the Ossetians, who until recently were citizens of the Soviet Union, are labeled "Russian Vassals" just because they seek Russian citizenship?

Now western Thracian Muslims are of course not eager to acquire Turkish citizenship
because they are better of with their Greek ID's that makes them also citizens of the European Union. If the situation were different and they would see a brighter future in Turkey then you can be sure that they would line up to acquire Turkish passports and Turkey would not refuse them.

What I mean to say is that Ossetians and Abkhazians have good reasons to obtain Russian documents, namely: Russia is a wealthy nation and economically on the rise. The whole issue has something to do with Opportunity and not with them being Vassals.

you are forgetting something important , abkhazians and ossetians ARE russians. 70% of the muslim minority in Thrace ARENT turkish. They know that very well too , some are offended if you call them turkish .

I know that perfectly well. The muslims of western Thrace are essentially of Thracian ethnicity. But that doesn't change the fact that Turkey sees them as ethnic Turks.

And again: that's not the point. The point is that people apply for a certain citizenship not only because of ethnic considerations but because of OPPORTUNITIES. As Russia was down, whoever there had a Greek or German Grandma would apply for Greek or German citizenship. Because the outlook in Russia was gloomy. The remaining Greeks in Russia are not as eager to rediscover their Greek roots as they used to be. And that's absolutely legitimate. Abkhazians and Ossetians prefer Russia over Georgia for obvious reasons.

1. They are indeed closer to the Russians than they are related to the Georgians
2. Russian GDP/capita $14,700 versus Georgian GDP/capita $4,700

source

who cares how turkey sees them , they can see them as ethnic clowns too