Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean to be resolved through good-neighborly relations and international law during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, as relations between Greece and Turkey face renewed strains.
Erdogan said Turkey wants the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean to become regions of stability and cooperation, using the UN podium to reiterate Ankara’s support for dialogue while also defending Turkish positions on Cyprus and regional maritime issues.
The comments come as Athens and Ankara, both NATO members, continue to maintain channels of communication despite disagreements over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has said Athens wants stability, peace and good-neighborly relations with Turkey while maintaining its positions on Greek sovereignty and sovereign rights.
Erdogan Calls for Dialogue on Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean
Erdogan said issues involving the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean should be addressed on the basis of international law and good-neighborly relations.
The language is significant because Greece and Turkey do not agree on the scope of their disputes.
Athens has consistently maintained that the principal outstanding bilateral issue that can be submitted for international legal settlement is the delimitation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined that position in a previous UN General Assembly address, saying Greece was prepared to work toward resolving maritime delimitation with Turkey in accordance with international law.
Turkey maintains a broader set of positions concerning the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
The latest remarks come against a more difficult backdrop in Greek-Turkish relations. Questions surrounding maritime jurisdiction, the status of Aegean islands and regional energy projects have again generated friction between Athens and Ankara ahead of this year’s UN gathering.
Erdogan also renewed his proposal for a conference of Eastern Mediterranean countries, an initiative Ankara has previously presented as a way of addressing regional disagreements and cooperation, including on energy.
Erdogan Repeats Turkey’s Position on Cyprus at UN
Cyprus was another major element of Erdogan’s address.
The Turkish president reiterated Ankara’s support for what it describes as the sovereign equality of Turkish Cypriots and called for an end to their international isolation.
Turkey is the only country that recognizes the self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” which is not recognized by the United Nations.
Erdogan has repeatedly called on the international community to establish relations with the Turkish Cypriot “administration.” In his 2025 UN address, he explicitly urged countries to recognize it and establish diplomatic, political and economic ties.
That position conflicts with the internationally backed framework for resolving the Cyprus problem through a settlement based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following a Greek-backed coup and Turkey’s subsequent invasion that resulted in death and destruction for the people of the Island. The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, exercises effective control over the southern part of the island, while the Turkish Cypriot administration controls the north.
Greece and Turkey Face Renewed Tensions
Erdogan’s UN remarks come as attention turns to whether Greece and Turkey can prevent their recent disagreements from reversing the relative calm achieved in bilateral relations over the past several years.
The two countries have long disagreed over maritime boundaries and other issues in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, although their governments have repeatedly emphasized dialogue as a means of managing tensions.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly, the possibility of diplomacy between Erdogan and Mitsotakis attracted particular attention as both leaders traveled to the United States.
For Athens, the stated approach remains dialogue without concessions on sovereignty.
The competing positions mean that the language of good-neighborly relations may offer a basis for continued dialogue, but the substantive disagreements between Greece and Turkey remain unresolved.
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