From "Mitsotakis no more" to "my dear friend": Greek-Turkish agreement to avoid tensions and positive cooperation at the Ankara meeting

At the same time, on the central streets of Ankara there was a large banner with a photo of Mr. Mitsotakis and Erdogan from a previous meeting and the inscription "Welcome Mr. Prime Minister". Who would have imagined this a short time ago...

Message on the streets of Ankara: "Welcome Mr. Prime Minister to the center of Ankara"

Obviously, Greece and Turkey are not friendly countries, nor will they become so in the near future. However, the two leaders, aware of the turbulent geopolitical environment, do not want to add another problem to the agenda, namely an area of ​​tension in bilateral relations. Therefore, as stated in the joint statement signed by Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Erdogan, it was agreed that there should be channels of communication and mechanisms for disengagement at all levels, so that disagreements do not develop into crises.

In this context, it is interesting that the new diplomatic advisor to the Prime Minister, Ambassador Katerina Nasika, also arrived in Ankara. She was invited to meet her new interlocutors, receiving from Ambassador Milton Nikolaidis, who is retiring and taking over our embassy in Paris.

If there is a time goal, in the first phase it is the clear horizon until the Greek elections, as it is known that Greek-Turkish relations are not governed by certainties. In any case, the period of lull after the Athens Declaration - which was mentioned in yesterday's joint statement as a milestone for bilateral relations - seems likely to be extended, despite periodic turbulence.

Open discussion

As reported by competent sources with excellent knowledge of what happened in the 1.5-hour tete-a-tete between the two leaders, all issues were raised. And of course the issues of the Aegean, maritime spatial planning, marine parks, NAVTEX and, on the part of Turkey, the issue of SAFE. The message being sent, however, is that the two countries can discuss the points of divergence, without this causing tensions.

In this context, it is also of particular interest that Mr. Erdogan stated his assessment that the Greek-Turkish dispute can be resolved on the basis of international law, something that Turkey does not usually mention, citing as evidence good neighborly relations that can serve as a basis for discussion.

At the same time, a careful analysis of the press conference demonstrates that it was an extremely carefully staged and directed visit. The two leaders did not deviate from the text they had in front of them, no questions were asked, Mr. Erdogan did not respond to Mr. Mitsotakis's… response to his sharp criticisms regarding the minority in Thrace, the SAFE program and Israel.

Notably, Mr. Mitsotakis took Mr. Erdogan’s cue on Greece’s role in the UN Security Council, saying that Greece remains committed to the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. And Mr. Erdogan not only did not respond, but at the end he even applauded the Greek Prime Minister’s statements, giving the impetus for the two delegations to move on to the dinner that had been prepared in an adjacent room.

The ministers who participated in the Supreme Cooperation Council, however, report to protothema.gr that the climate was even and the logic was to put forward the points of convergence, so that they would transcend the given differences and disagreements of the two countries. It was no coincidence that the Turkish Presidency chose to precede the statements with the exchanges of dossiers with the agreements and the applause of those present. However, the atmosphere at the individual meetings of the ministers was excellent and cooperative, with several agreeing to exchange visits in the near future.

For example, Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos and Turkish Industry Minister Mehmet Fethi Şehir agreed that the Turkish minister would come to Athens in September, followed by the Greek minister. Similarly, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, after receiving congratulations from the Turkish ministers and Mr. Erdogan on assuming the presidency of the Eurogroup, agreed with his counterpart Mr. Simsek that two business forums would be held in the near future, one in Istanbul and one in Athens, under the auspices of the Ministries of Finance, in order to advance cooperation with the aim of reaching the “milestone” of 10 billion dollars in bilateral trade.

Kebab and sympathy

This climate that was recorded in the meeting itself, in the expanded meeting of the Supreme Cooperation Council, but also in the statements, was continued at the dinner hosted by Mr. Erdogan and attended by Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as a number of prominent Greek and Turkish businessmen.

From "Mitsotakis, no more" to "my dear friend": Greek-Turkish agreement to avoid tensions and positive cooperation at the Ankara meeting

Obviously, music helps and, as in other similar dinners, the Turkish presidency had made sure to have an orchestra, which played mainly traditional music, but at some point also enlisted "Teli, teli kalpike dounia", by Manos Loizou, which was sung in the first performance by Haris Alexiou. Obviously, the rich table, with beef brisket, urfa kebab and lamb chops and a finale with baklava with walnuts and other Turkish sweets, would have helped too.

From "Mitsotakis yoke", to "my dear friend": Greek-Turkish agreement to avoid tensions and positive cooperation at the Ankara meeting
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the Turkish presidency dinner, along with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who traveled to Ankara accompanied by Metropolitan Elder of Chalcedon, Emmanuel

Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Tayyip Erdogan who were sitting at the same table with Mr. Bartholomew had the opportunity to relax, it is said that they spoke little about the issues on the agenda and focused more on their family and international obligations, like two leaders who make... small talk after the end of official obligations. It is unclear when they will meet again bilaterally, but Mr. Mitsotakis will normally come to Ankara on July 7 and 8 for the NATO Summit, as Turkey is the host country this year.