Greek FM’s Turkey visit seen as possible turning point
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias travels to Ankara on Wednesday for an official visit that is being seen as a possible turning point in relations with Turkey, which have soured over maritime and energy rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
Dendias will be meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who has invited the Greek official to join him for a meal of the breaking the fast in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – regarded as a particular honor – on Wednesday evening.
Sources have indicated that while Ankara is eager for the visit to go well, Cavusoglu will not be glossing over Turkish claims and demands, and is expected to bring up the issue of maritime borders and possibly issues of minority rights.
Dendias and Cavusoglu are also expected to go into some depth regarding the Cyprus dispute, which is the subject of an informal summit at the end of April in Geneva.
During his visit to Turkey, the Greek foreign minister is also expected to travel to Istanbul and to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church.
