Better to talk than have finger on trigger, Mitsotakis says

Greece’s relations with Turkey appear to have entered a period of relative calm, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday, ahead of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, adding that “it’s better to talk than to constantly have our finger on the trigger.”

Speaking on Alpha TV and addressing the conversion of the historic Chora church in Istanbul into a mosque, Mitsotakis criticized the move as provocative and pledged to request its reversal from the Turkish president.

“We can collaborate with Turkey despite the challenges,” he said, pointing to the management of migration flows since 2019.

“Instead of dealing with undocumented migrants, we now welcome legal tourists from Turkey through the visa program,” he said of the deal which allows travelers from Turkey to visit 10 Greek islands with a fast-track temporary visa.

“While not all issues will be resolved overnight, it’s better to talk than to constantly have our finger on the trigger,” he said.