In the midst of the Ukraine war, Ankara and Athens want to mend their strained relations.
Both countries have a special responsibility for the stability of the European security architecture, which has changed with the Russian attack, the Anadolu State Agency quoted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday after a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Istanbul. Athens rated the atmosphere at the meeting as “very positive”.
Erdogan said progress could certainly be made in all problematic areas. Mitsotakis then described the meeting as “an opportunity for a very honest conversation”. Despite major disagreements, the foundations have been laid for an improvement in relations. “We are confronted with great challenges,” said Mitsotakis, referring to the Ukraine war. The task now is to cooperate on these major issues.
First official visit
The two neighboring countries and NATO partners have been at odds on many issues so far, and in the summer of 2020 they were on the verge of a military conflict. There are conflicts, among other things, about sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea and the exploitation of possible natural gas deposits in the region. Athens and Ankara also each blame each other for migrants drowning in the eastern Aegean who die while crossing to Greece.
The meeting on Sunday was therefore of particular importance: since Mitsotakis took office in the summer of 2019, the prime minister and the Turkish president have only met three times on the sidelines of other appointments such as a NATO summit and a UN General Assembly, but have never visited each other officially. Mitsotakis now said that he could even imagine a next meeting at the highest level in Thessaloniki in the fall if there were no further tensions by then.