Leaders of Greece and Turkey to Meet in Ankara

The leaders of Greece and Turkey are scheduled to meet on May 13th in Ankara. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced he would meet his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next month at the culmination of a two-day summit of the European Council in Brussels.

In recent years, the bilateral relationship between the two countries has been characterized by tensions over the geostrategically vital Aegean Sea. However, renewed efforts by leaders of Greece and Turkey to improve relations have given rise to a period of cautious rapprochement.

Nevertheless, several thorny issues threaten to derail efforts to improve bilateral relations. Just last week, Turkey contested the plan by Greece to establish a new marine park in the Aegean Sea saying that Athens does not have sovereignty over islands within the region.

Mitsotakis responds to Turkish stance on marine environmental parks

Mitsotakis dismissed Turkey’s stance against Greece’s plan for the new marine park as “completely unjustified.”

“Greece exercises its sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea on the basis of international law and the law of the sea and I am impressed by this completely unjustified reaction of Turkey to an initiative, which ultimately has an environmental characteristic,” the Greek Prime Minister said.

He expressed his belief that the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey had not necessarily altered Ankara’s stance on key issues that have strained relations in the past.

Within the framework of European Council discussions, Mitsotakis also commented on wider relations between the EU and Turkey, with added emphasis on how this impacts Cyprus.

“For the moment, I am satisfied with the conclusions we have reached, which recognize the fact that relations between the European Union and Turkey may progress, but always within the framework of the decisions taken by the European Council in recent years,” said the Greek PM.

“Finally, in full agreement with the Republic of Cyprus, I welcome the fact that there is an explicit reference linking the progress of EU-Turkey relations with the progress that can be made on the Cyprus issue,” he said. “With explicit references to the Security Council resolutions that define the only framework within which the Cyprus issue can be resolved. And, of course, on our part, we express our expectation that this new effort, which is being made under the new UN envoy, will finally be able to bear fruit.”

Meetings between leaders of Greece and Turkey

The scheduled meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan fits within a broader trend of renewed communication between both leaders.

Until February 2023, the pair had reportedly not spoken for months. However, earthquakes that devastated portions of Turkey that month prompted both leaders to resume communications.

In the months since, there has been a focus on reducing tensions in the Mediterranean and improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

In December last year, Mitsotakis and Erdogan met in Athens, where they signed a friendship declaration between Greece and Turkey.