Stakes run high as PM heads to NATO summit

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis headed to Madrid on Tuesday for a crucial NATO summit on the alliance’s expansion that will see the premier sitting at the same table with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time since Ankara started ratcheting up tension with Athens.

The Greek delegation will be going into any talks on the matter of this tension armed with the recent European Council conclusions calling on Turkey “to fully respect international law, to de-escalate tensions in the interest of regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and to promote good neighborly relations in a sustainable way.”

According to sources, Mitsotakis does not plan to raise the issue of Turkish aggression unless asked, given that all of Greece’s partners and allies have been fully briefed on the latest developments in Greek-Turkish relations.

Athens’ line, as conveyed by government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou on Monday, is that no move from Turkey “will go unanswered” by Greece, and that every violation of its national airspace will be met with a demarche.

NATO leaders are gathering in Madrid on June 28-30 to discuss the alliance’s future and Turkey’s objections to the accession of Sweden and Finland.