Greek crisis hits historic Istanbul newspaper

One of Turkey's oldest newspapers, Greek-language daily Apoyevmatini, is facing closure after 86 years in business due to financial woes aggravated by the economic crisis in Greece. Due to the crisis, the four-page daily lost its support from Greece sources, and its application to get support from the Turkish state has been rejected. Since its debut 1925 issue, Apoyevmatini has been the only publication for ethnic Turks coming from Greece lacking Turkish-language skills, according to Vasiliadis. The paper's circulation has dwindled from some 30,000 in its early years to just 600, out of a mere 1,500 Greeks left in Istanbul. Vasiliadis said he was trying to market an Internet version of the paper to some 1,000 Greeks who migrated to various countries from Istanbul, but complained of a lack of support. "This newspaper is like glue that binds the last Istanbul-based Greeks together," he said. "If it falls, then everything will end. This paper must be sustained. The people who control the money flow in Greece grant funds in accordance with their own wishes; the ads have dried up. The Greek diaspora remains indifferent."