Turkish president indicates shift toward ‘win-win’ talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to inch closer to agreeing to sit down for talks with Greece on the de-escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has reached crisis point on several occasions in recent weeks.

“We can meet on a common ground where everyone can win. We can pursue a win-win policy,” Erdogan was reported by Turkish media as saying at a meeting of AKP party officials on Wednesday.

“We can sit at the same table with everyone except Southern Cyprus,” Erdogan was quoted by different sources on Thursday as saying, in reference to the Republic of Cyprus.

The Turkish president also instructed party officials to identify initiatives where Turkey has cooperated with or lent support to other countries in the region and Greece in particular.

Erdogan’s comments came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called for a moratorium between Greece and Turkey and the start of a dialogue.

However, the Turkish president also insisted that expressing a desire to talk “does not mean that we will make concessions on our rights.”