Categories: World

Mperbock and little Maria of Evros

Mperbock and little Maria of Evros


Commentary on TAZ on the occasion of the refugee drama in Evros. The debate on banning visas for Russian tourists and a publication about the Virgin Mary of Cyprus.

In the new refugee drama that unfolded on the island of Evros and in the death of the little refugee girl Maria from a scorpion sting, a comment is reported in the newspaper TAZ of Berlin. “Between Greece and Turkey flows a river, the Evros. It creates a physical border but also the external border of the EU. It is guarded by the Greek border guard and Frontex. We know what that means. We know the brutality, even when we look away or we overlook because we know the savagery,” notes the commentator, who gives her thoughts on what has happened in recent days with the nearly 40 refugees.

“On Monday night, the rescued arrived in Greece. The dead girl’s name was Maria. Seven years ago, when Alan Kurdi’s photo went around the world, money was given in a short time for the refugees from Syria . His death touched many. But politically not much has changed because we learned the name of Alan Kurdi. People continue to die on the way to Europe. And I wonder if a Secretary of State (Sr. Analena Burbock) who claims that if we ignore what is happening (at the EU’s external borders), our values ​​will be lost at the bottom of the Mediterranean, he is ashamed because he knows that this sentence does not describe a hypothetical scenario but a real situation, which Germany also deliberately perpetuates. I wonder if he really wants to implement what the government agreement says: to stop the suffering at the EU’s external borders and when will this offending ‘feminist policy’ come”.

Are Russian tourists welcome in Europe?

The newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung of Munich focuses on the debate that has arisen in many European countries as well as in Germany regarding the possibility of a visa ban for Russian tourists. Among other things he observes: “Whether it is about Putin’s war or not, the German government has a special responsibility to build bridges because of the special German-Russian history (…) It may be true that the Russian tourists who come (to Europe) are mostly rich, beneficiaries of the Putin system and that such a ban is of little concern to Putin’s opponents (…) The EU must take a deep breath in the confrontation with Putin. It must continue to support Ukraine, which must become militarily and economically independent from Russia.

This requires great sacrifice, the coming winter will push many societies to the limits of their endurance. The desire to ‘block’ the Russians now may seem understandable. But Putin’s biggest victory would be if Europe betrays its own values. A blanket European ban on travelers from Russia would be like a collective punishment.”

Panagia Angeloktistis and Unesco

A publication in Badische Zeitung focusing on the uniqueness of the specific historical temple:

“The Byzantine church, which still functions as a place of worship, is known for its 6th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary. The mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel is considered one of the most important frescoes of early Christian art and is the only surviving one in Cyprus. In the temple one can also see frescoes from the 11th century, the iconostasis from the 16th century and icons from the 13th to the 19th centuries. These are elements that, according to UNESCO, demonstrate the ‘timeless artistic and religious interconnection of Cyprus with the Byzantine world’ and the ‘assimilation of artistic elements from different cultures'”.

Dimitra Kyranoudis

Source: Deutsche Welle

Source: Capital