Wait-and-see mood in Athens over Turkey

Greek diplomacy is preparing for the conclusion of the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius (July 11-12), which will indicate whether the initiatives taken in the coming period are likely to lead to a resumption of the existing channels (confidence building measures and exploratory contacts). 

For the time being, however, Athens is adopting a wait-and-see attitude, as even the very definition of Greek-Turkish channels of communication differ on either side of the Aegean. 

First of all, the possibility of lifting Greek reservations on the American proposals to break the deadlock regarding NATO’s new regional maps stipulating the dual designation of the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus has been ruled out. At the same, the Turkish proposals on the matter are awaited with interest. 

The Americans proposed that Turkey can use its own name for the straits (“Turkish Straits”), while any other member can use the terminology found in the Montreux Convention, which governs the status of the straits and is an internationally recognized treaty.

Greece and Turkey disagree on how to describe the straits that Athens names in accordance with the Montreux Convention (1936), namely the Dardanelles Strait, the Bosporus Strait, and the Sea of Marmara.

So far the format of next week’s meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan has been set as 3+3. 

This means that, along with Mitsotakis, the participants on the Greek side will include Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and either Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou or diplomatic adviser Anna-Maria Boura.

However, Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias, Greece’s former foreign minister, will also be in Vilnius, whose program is currently being finalized.