Mitsotakis, Erdogan agree on next steps
Greek, Turkish leaders reaffirm positive climate, willingness for de-escalation at New York meet
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed the positive climate and the will to maintain the existing framework of de-escalation in Greek-Turkish relations during their meeting on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.
The two leaders reportedly directed foreign ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan to begin planning for the next High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkey, which will be convened in Ankara in January 2025 on the basis of the Athens Declaration. The Turkish foreign minister is scheduled to visit Greece before the end of the year in preparation for the council.
According to a senior government source, Mistotakis and Erdogan, who reviewed the progress on the political dialogue and the positive agenda, agreed that Confidence-Building Measures are working as they offer the possibility to de-escalate when necessary.
With regard to the issue of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, government sources said that “the foreign ministers of the two countries will assess when they will be able to open the discussion in the context of the ongoing political dialogue between Greece and Turkey.”
Furthermore, the two sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation on migration in the coming months in order to dismantle traffickers’ networks, acknowledging that the change in smugglers’ mode of operation necessitates a continuous upgrade of both bilateral cooperation and strategic management of the issue.
To this end, the two countries’ migration ministers will, reportedly, most likely meet soon to deepen cooperation in this area.
Mitsotakis also raised the Cyprus issue with Erdogan, reiterating the firm positions of Athens and Nicosia, which are based on respect for international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
The Greek PM reportedly stressed the need to resume the talks under the auspices of the United Nations so that another opportunity for dialogue is given. According to reliable sources, the Turkish president did not react to Mitsotakis’ statement on the Cyprus issue.
“The Greek side, which recognizes that the Turkish positions are known, remains optimistic,” government sources said after the meeting.
After his talks with Mitsotakis, Erdogan had a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
For his part, the Greek PM was to brief Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides about his talks with Erdogan after the trilateral meeting between Greece, France and Cyprus.
