Cyprus invasion anniversary seen as pivotal for Greek-Turkish ties

The 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on July 20 may become a milestone for the further course of Greek-Turkish relations as both Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the island on the same day.

It remains to be seen whether the visit will be defined by incendiary rhetoric or whether the channels between Athens and Ankara will remain active in view of the planned meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan in September, in New York.

Erdogan traditionally visits the territories of Cyprus occupied by Turkish troops on this day, but this year Mitsotakis will visit Nicosia to attend the commemorative events for the first time during his tenure as prime minister.

It is clear that Mitsotakis will not shy from picking up the gauntlet and respond to any inflammatory remarks made by the Turkish president, with the former’s staff anticipating a particularly difficult “coexistence” between the two leaders on the island. Mitsotakis’ decision to accept the invitation extended by Cyprus President Nikos Chistodoulides to visit the island was taken before the recent European elections.

The visit is also seen as a vehicle to respond to any critical remarks that may be made about the government’s handling of foreign policy issues during an event on Monday at the War Museum in Athens that will be attended by former conservative prime ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras.

However, government officials note that any positions of the two former prime ministers “will be carefully recorded” and are certainly a priori “respected.”

In any case, Greek-Turkish relations have recently been a source of concern for the government, despite the calm in the Aegean.

The “regression” in Greek-Turkish relations, for which Ankara is responsible, is believed to be taking on permanent characteristics, limiting the prospect of a meaningful dialogue between the two countries.