Turkey to Support Greece in Bid for UN Security Council

Turkey will support Greece’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday in Brussels.

At a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, Cavusoglu confirmed that in return Greece will support Turkey’s bid to assume the presidency of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Nikos Dendias’la görüştük.Deprem ve tren kazasından sonraki dayanışmayı sürdürüyoruz. Bazı adaylıklarımızı karşılıklı olarak destekleme kararı aldık.

Met w/@NikosDendias. We continue our solidarity after earthquake & train accident.Agreed to mutually support our candidacies.🇹🇷🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/sSKcEMMiDQ

— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) March 20, 2023

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the International Donors Conference on Turkey and Syria, which is co-organized by the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Last week, Greece officially launched the campaign to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025-26.

Dendias launched the bid at an event organized by the Permanent Mission of Greece to the UN in New York.

In the presence of dozens of heads of permanent delegations from around the world, the Greek foreign minister noted that “Greece always supports dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable means to achieve the main goals of this Organisation: international peace, development and the promotion of human rights”.

Dendias focused on the words democracy, dialogue and diplomacy, which will form the road map for Greece’s candidacy.

Greece-Turkey relations warm up after earthquake, train disaster

Dendias was the first European minister to visit Turkey in early February after the deadly earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and Syria.

“I would like to convey to the Turkish leadership and the Turkish people the warmest condolences of the Mitsotakis government and the entire Greek people for the losses after the two devastating earthquakes,” Dendias said during a press conference with Cavusoglu in Antakya, referring to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“This is showing the solidarity of Greek people with Turkey and the Turkish population. Greece was one of the first countries to call and propose help to Turkey after the earthquake,” Cavusoglu added.

Greece sent a search and rescue team to Turkey and tons of humanitarian aid was distributed to the homeless after the earthquakes.

A month later, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his condolences to Greece over the fatal train crash at Tempi, central Greece, that  claimed the lives of 57 people.

“Stating that he is deeply saddened by the train crash, President Erdogan extended his condolences for those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” said a statement by Turkey’s Communications Directorate following a message from the Turkish leader to Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also conveyed his condolences via Twitter to the relatives of those who died, as well as to the Greek people and government, on the “sad and tragic” accident.

Related: Earthquake Diplomacy Sparks Hopes of Normalization Between Greece and Turkey