Η ελληνική δικτατορία και οι ανατολικές χώρες (1967-1974)

Abstract

The overall record of relations between Greece and Eastem-European countries during the period 1967-1974 is rather poor. Despite some spectacular moments and a few real steps (e.g. re-establishment of relations with Albania, the signature of a good neighbourhood declaration with Bulgaria), the weight of Eastem-European countries in Greek exports fell by half; the improvement in the institutional framework of relations simply followed the broader trend in East-West relations and hardly yielded any practical results. On the other hand, there was clearly no vacuum in these relations, as witnessed by the conclusion of more than 130 agreements and protocols, and by the fact that the level of Greek trade with the East remained among the highest in the West (in relative terms). The Greek dictatorship developed and publicised relations with Communist regimes mainly for propaganda purposes, and to some extent in alignment with us policy goals in the Balkans, For their part, Communist regimes adopted a pragmatic approach to the Greek dictatorship. A number of them did not hesitate to support the propaganda objectives of the junta, in an attempt to exploit frictions with Western Europe. Relations between the junta and Eastem-European countries were strongly resented by Greek anti-dictatorial forces, where communist fractions were dominant. The issue proved a major one in the intra-communist struggle that followed the 1968 split of the Communist Party.