In snow-covered Istanbul, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will today have the opportunity to have a full discussion with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after several months in person, in order, if possible, to somehow break the ice in Greek-Turkish relations and not to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a field of tension again, at the time of the flare-up in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Mitsotakis arrives in Istanbul on the Prime Minister's aircraft and will go straight to the Patriarchate in order to attend the celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, alongside Patriarch Bartholomew. Immediately afterwards, he will leave the Phanar for the Vahdetin Palace in the Uskundar district on the Asian side of Istanbul, to be received at 13:00 by the Turkish President. According to the official schedule, the lunch between the two men will last about two hours, until 15:00 local time.
The agenda
There has been careful preparation for the meeting between the two staffs and this was the reason why the Greek side had avoided immediately confirming the Turkish leaks, so that all the details would be locked. The existence of an agenda means, in essence, that the two leaders are not just having a free conversation, which can also be diverted, especially by actions on the Turkish side.
The focus of the discussion, therefore, includes regional developments after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also the security architecture in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis' message is that our region cannot be a second source of geopolitical instability, so the tone must be lowered, and he also sends a message to Mr Erdogan that historical revisionism is not acceptable. Of course, in such a discussion, it is obvious that our bilateral issues will also be discussed, with the prime minister ready if Erdogan puts forward his revisionist agenda, while the so-called "positive agenda" is also on the table, with low-policy measures, handled in a good atmosphere by the two deputy foreign ministers Kostas Fragoyannis and Sedat Onal. Of course, the new energy balances are also on the table, as the Eastern Mediterranean could serve as an alternative hub, especially for LNG cargoes, given Europe's will to become independent from Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
In Athens, of course, there are no exaggerated expectations from the meeting and the Prime Minister is rather going in with the ball low. But from the Maximus building, they say there needs to be a channel of communication and despite disagreements, Greece and Turkey need to talk, especially in this completely new geopolitical environment. Interesting in this equation, of course, is the fact that the Turks are showing some signs of understanding at this stage.
The background to the meeting
As usual, the preparations for the meeting were handled by the two diplomatic advisers, Eleni Surani and Ibrahim Kalin, who, according to the initial planning, will also have a seat at the dinner table. It remains, of course, for this to be confirmed in practice, because Mr Erdogan has a penchant for surprises, although the protocol has been carefully crafted. The Vahdetin lunch, however, will be "the end of a relationship," as Ms. Surani is leaving her post for the embassy in Rome by the end of the month.
That said, the mission reportedly includes the prime minister's new diplomatic adviser, Ambassador Anna Maria Bura, who will take over fully in a few days and thus have a first contact with Mr. Kalin, to continue this behind-the-scenes channel between the offices of the two leaders.
Source: protothema.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
