Greece's relationship with its Turkish neighbors has ranged from ambivalent to difficult for a very long time. As a rule, Turkey is viewed as an unpredictable and aggressive neighbor that Greece needs to protect itself against. That's part of the reason Athens spends 3% of its GDP on defense.

At the same time, Turks are almost always given a warm welcome, whether as tourists or investors — especially when they are spending money on Greece's east Aegean islands, also known as the Dodecanese Islands, between Greece and Turkey.

Not all that many tourists — domestic or foreign — tend to make it over here. In 2024, the number of ferry passengers from Turkey to Greece jumped to 1.5 million, up dramatically from 800,000 in 2023.

The influx of Turks on the tiny island of Leros, for instance, feels to some like an invasion of sorts. Until just 20 years ago, the island had an awful reputation, known as the home of one of Europe's most notorious mental institutions. Today it is a vacation paradise for Turkish visitors.

A ferry trip from Turgutreis, near Bodrum, Turkey, to Leros only takes one hour. To get there from Piraeus, Greece, on the other hand, takes 10 hours. That means hundreds of Turks arrive in Leros........

© Deutsche Welle