Mitsotakis meeting Erdogan in Ankara

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is traveling to Ankara on Wednesday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the aim of maintaining and strengthening open channels of communication and establishing a functional relationship with Turkiye.

The meeting has been scheduled for 15:15 (Athens time).

The High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkiye will convene after the meeting.

According to government sources, although there is currently no consensus on starting discussions on the settlement of the only dispute between Greece and Turkiye that can be brought before international jurisdiction, namely the delimitation of the continental shelf and EEZ in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, Athens looks forward to a constructive discussion and the maintenance of a climate of calm in bilateral relations. Moreover, the same sources emphasised that this climate has led to significant achievements in the last two and a half years, such as:

- Reducing violations of Greek airspace,

- ⁠Better cooperation with Turkiye on migration and the overall reduction of flows,

- ⁠Facilitating the issuance of short-term visas for Turkish citizens and their families on 12 Aegean islands

- Deepening bilateral trade.

The first meeting of the Greek Prime Minister with the President of Turkiye after a year and a half - their last meeting took place in September 2024 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York - and the meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council are important and are expected to underline the necessity of open channels to avoid crises and de-escalate tensions.

At the meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan before the start of the 6th Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan and the diplomatic advisors of the two leaders, Ambassador Milton Nikolaidis and Akif Cagatay Kilic, will participate.

The two leaders are expected to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues.

Athens and Ankara share the view that issues concerning the two countries should be discussed at the bilateral level and that improving the climate in bilateral relations is for the benefit of stability in the wider region, government sources pointed out.

After the meeting of the Cooperation Council, the two leaders will make statements to the press, at 17:00 (Athens time).

A dinner will follow, hosted by the Turkish President in honour of the Greek Prime Minister and the Greek delegation.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will also attend the dinner, at the invitation of the Turkish president.

According to an announcement by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, during his visit to Ankara, His Holiness will be accompanied by His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon.