Mitsotakis, Erdogan meet with open cards
Primary goal of the Greek and Turkish leaders is to consolidate calm waters in the Aegean
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrives in Athens on Thursday, will sit at the table in the Maximos Mansion with open cards for talks that will to a significant extent decide the pace of the new contacts for 2024 as well.
The meeting’s primary goal is consolidating the calm in the Aegean while at the same time the fifth High Cooperation Council (HCC) will convene, during which some symbolic rather than substantive agreements are expected to be signed.
However, the two leaders have made it quite apparent that they are approaching their meeting from two completely different perspectives.
The Turkish side, as Erdogan made clear in his exclusive interview with Kathimerini, believes that there are interrelated issues on the negotiating table beyond the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which he did not name, but it is clear that they include Ankara’s long-held views on the demilitarization of the Aegean islands.
For its part, the Greek side has always insisted that it will not discuss anything else beyond the continental shelf and the EEZs of the two countries.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said as much on Wednesday, commenting on Erdogan’s interview.
“There is only one difference that we recognize with Turkey. Only with this difference can we go to the International Court of Justice,” he said, adding that Greece has proven that it respects international law and wants a solution.
“There is only one dispute, the delimitation of the EEZ and the continental shelf and no other. It is clear, unambiguous and non-negotiable,” Marinakis said, speaking to ANT1. He however noted that despite the disagreements, it is important that “we are in a phase of dialogue.”
The meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan will take place at 12.15 p.m. with the same format as the two previous meetings in Vilnius and New York, namely with the participation of Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan and diplomatic advisers Anna-Maria Boura and Akif Chagatai Kilic.
At the same time, bilateral meetings will be held at the Foreign Ministry and other ministries.
The most substantive of these will be the one between the two deputy foreign ministers, Alexandra Papadopoulou and Burak Akcapar, who will discuss how to continue Greek-Turkish contacts, which are currently taking place on three levels: political dialogue, confidence building measures and the positive agenda.
