Roadmap sought with Ankara

The procedural framework that will lead to the preparation of the important Greek-Turkish contacts at the summit level in September, as well as the substantive discussion that could lead to The Hague, will be sought in a meeting planned between the two respective foreign ministers, George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan. The two men have been in contact whenever necessary, as was the case a few days ago due to the complications surrounding the religious ceremony that will take place at the Panagia Soumela Monastery in Turkey to mark the August 15 feast day.

Gerapetritis and Fidan have essentially taken on the responsibility of preparing for the meeting between the two leaders, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next month (September 19-29) for top-level discussions.

Various dates are being considered for the meeting of the two foreign ministers. The two most likely are the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, to which a Turkish representative on Euro-Turkish issues may be invited, on August 30-31, or in early September. 

Mitsotakis and Erdogan will be invited to choose from a number of potential interaction points provided by the two foreign ministers, beginning with the High Cooperation Council (HCC), which will convene in Thessaloniki in November. It is not ruled out that certain contacts will be held at the level of the so-called positive agenda prior to the High Cooperation Council. 

The general goal of these initial bilateral contacts is to create a calm atmosphere before moving on to the most difficult menu of the Greek-Turkish issue, namely the development of a roadmap that could, under certain conditions, lead to the referral of the main dispute (exclusive economic zone and continental shelf) to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.