Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed on a roadmap for the coming months, in their sixth consecutive quadrilateral meeting in the past 14 months.
In Athens, it is positively valued that the channels of communication remain open and that there is a cooperation agreement on immigration, an issue that has recently come back into the spotlight.
The emphasis is on a positive agenda that could bring the two countries closer together, but there has been no substantial progress on the difficult issues. In practice, a step-by-step process is being followed on the way to the next Greece-Turkey Supreme Cooperation Council, which will take place in Ankara in January 2025.
“The positive atmosphere has been confirmed. Today, more than ever, when we are in a region plagued by constant geopolitical risks and in the midst of two wars, it is necessary to have relations of understanding and good neighbourliness,” noted Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis. At the same time, he stressed that: the three pillars, political dialogue, Confidence-Building Measures, as well as the positive agenda will be brought together by the end of the year.
The Foreign Ministers will assess whether there are favorable conditions for starting discussions on the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. It should also be emphasized here that a reference made by the Turkish President in his address to the UN General Assembly about the resolution of disputes on the basis of international law did not escape Athens’ attention (of course, it remains to be seen how Mr. Erdogan will react).
Speaking to CNN, the prime minister referred to the meeting he had with Erdoğan and stressed that “it is therefore very important to have open channels of communication and, of course, on the issues on which we disagree, such as the definition of maritime zones, to do so in a specific way, that is, so that the issues can be resolved on the basis of international law, but also to cooperate on issues such as immigration and we have made progress in addressing the problems.” As he highlighted, “what we want is for the boats to stop before entering our territorial waters. For this we want the cooperation of the Turkish authorities and I would say that we have made progress in the last year, creating better channels of communication.”
Gap remains on Cyprus issue
At a critical moment, when attempts are being made to restart talks on the Cyprus issue, the Turkish president is maintaining a hard line in his public statements. It is indicative that, speaking at the UN General Assembly, he reiterated the recognition of the occupied countries by the international community.
As government sources stressed on the Cyprus issue, “the Greek side reiterated the permanent positions of Athens and Nicosia, stressed the need to restart dialogue between the two sides under the auspices of the United Nations and that it fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General for a tripartite meeting.” It should be noted here that today the Prime Minister will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and will discuss developments on the Cyprus issue.