Mitsotakis, Erdogan commit to lasting calm

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated their commitment to “calm waters” in the Aegean and agreed on the need for a gradual transition to a next stage, where difficult bilateral differences can be discussed without the threat of a total collapse of Greece-Turkey relations.

The calm in the Aegean was essentially secured for another six months as the two leaders’ next two meetings were announced – in Ankara sometime in the spring (late April – early May) and on the sidelines of the Washington NATO Summit in July.

“Greece and Turkey must live in peace, express their known differences, discuss them honestly and seek solutions. And if these cannot be bridged, they should not automatically produce tensions and crises,” said Mitsotakis in statements made after their meeting, which in the broader context of the positive atmosphere lasted longer than planned.

For his part, Erdogan expressed the “sincere wish to solve our problems within the framework of international law,” adding that “there is no problem that cannot be resolved” in Greek-Turkish relations.

“It is natural for there to be problems between two countries, let alone between brothers,” he noted. 

However, both leaders did not move from their countries’ fixed positions in their joint statements. This was also the case during their earlier meeting. These positions concern Greece’s Muslim minority and the Cyprus issue. Greece and Turkey also have different positions as to what dispute or disputes could potentially be brought before the adjudication of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Before the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting in Ankara, there will have been contacts at the level of Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, as well as the Political Dialogue between Deputy Ministers Alexandra Papadopoulou and Burak Akcapar. 

The Political Dialogue process, which now effectively involves the resumption of exploratory contacts, is essentially the “barometer” that determines if the next phase – discussion of the challenging problems pertaining to the Aegean – can actually be undertaken. 

Meetings will also take place for the positive agenda and the confidence building measures (CBMs) under the auspices of the defense ministries. 

Mitsotakis also stressed the aim to increase bilateral trade from 5 to 10 billion euros. He underlined Greece’s support for Turkey’s European aspirations, saying that Athens has secured the European Commission’s approval for a seven-day visa for Turks to visit 11 Greek islands. There was also agreement for direct communication between the two chiefs of the coast guard services for coordination and cooperation on migration.