From BZ/dpa
After the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, there is a cautious rapprochement with neighboring Greece amid many conflicts between the two countries.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias surprisingly flew to the disaster area on Sunday and met with his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu. The two politicians hugged, as shown by Greek state television. Greece immediately provided assistance. Cavusoglu thanked him for that. The two states will try to resolve their issues through dialogue, he added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (left) shows his counterpart Nikos Dendias the extent of the disaster from a helicopter Photo: picture alliance / AA | Cem Ozdel
Dendias assured: “Greece’s help to the Turkish people does not end here.” Athens will “do everything” – bilaterally and also within the framework of the EU – to help Turkey, Dendias added. Greek state television reported that he was the first EU foreign minister to visit the disaster area. Several Greek rescue teams are deployed in the Antakya and Hatay regions.
Rebooting in Relationships?
Political observers and commentators in the Greek press have been expressing hope for days that Greece’s spontaneous aid to Turkey could mark a fresh start in relations between NATO members.
After the earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in 1999, relations between the two countries eased. At that time, the two states had helped each other with rescue teams and humanitarian aid. This assistance gradually evolved into an approach known as ‘earthquake diplomacy’. At that time, it ushered in a phase of relaxation that lasted for more than ten years. There has been more tension lately.
Athens and Ankara have been at odds over sovereign rights in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean for decades. In recent months, the Turkish president has repeatedly threatened to invade Greek islands.