Greece, Turkey seek to restart relations with meetings in Athens

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to Athens with a group of ministers to meet with his Greek counterparts. Both nations hope these discussions will allow them to turn a new page in their ties, which have been strained for many years.

Greece and Turkey, two countries that are neighbors and partners of NATO, have been at war with one another for decades over a variety of problems, including the beginning and ending points of their continental shelf, energy resources, overflights of the Aegean Sea, and the ethnically divided island of Cyprus.

During the 1990s, they came dangerously close to starting a war. Over the last several years, they have been arguing about energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, problems related to defense, migration, and the procurement of fighter planes, which has caused diplomatic negotiations to remain on hold.

Following a terrible earthquake that occurred in February, Greece assisted Turkey, which led to an improvement in relations. This year’s re-elections of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis helped alleviate political pressure. They allowed them to put their rivalry to one side.

“We want to emphasize a positive agenda that is mutually beneficial,” stated an official from the Greek administration in advance of the fifth High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkey.

George Gerapetritis, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other administration representatives welcomed Erdogan when his tour began at the Athens International Airport.

He is anticipated to meet with Mitsotakis and the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, at around midday. After reaching an agreement in July to begin negotiations at all levels, this will be the third meeting the leaders have held since then.

Erdogan made this statement in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini before his visit. “There is no problem we cannot solve through dialogue on the basis of mutual goodwill,” Erdogan said.

According to government authorities, the discussions will result in the production of joint declarations and agreements in various fields, including the economy, human health, education, agriculture, migration, and tourism.

It is believed that Greece would declare during the visit that it has received authorization from the European Union to re-enable Turkish people to apply for a seven-day tourist visa for ten islands near the Turkish shore. According to the authorities, this action is likely to be communicated as proof of goodwill.

They both want to demonstrate that they are willing to repair their relationship.

Turkey has advocated for membership in the European Union for more than twenty years. Greece seeks to restore its footing and look like a pillar of stability in a shifting geopolitical scene due to the war in Ukraine and the Gaza conflict. This came after Greece experienced a financial crisis that rocked the eurozone when it was first introduced.

It is anticipated that little progress will be made on complex and long-standing issues, according to authorities in both nations, despite the declarations of friendly intentions.

Athens has said it will only debate delineating exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. It will not address any “national sovereignty” concerns.

If the matter is brought to the International Court of Justice, Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s position on Wednesday: all disputes should be resolved via discussion.

“They are all interrelated,” he stated to Kathimerini.