During a visit to Ankara on February 11 for the Greece-Turkiye High-level Cooperation Council (HLCC) and a meeting with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will strive to preserve and further enhance channels of communication and to establish a stable and functional relationship with Turkiye during a time of global instability and uncertainty, government sources said on Thursday.
The sources noted that, even though there is no convergence at present for a discussion on resolving Greece’s sole difference with Turkiye that can be taken to international arbitration – namely the delimitation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean – Athens hopes to have constructive talks and preserve an atmosphere of calm in bilateral relations.
This calm has delivered significant gains in the last 2.5 years, the sources pointed out, including a reduction of air space violations, better cooperation with Turkiye in migration and an overall decline in migration flows, as well as easier issuance of short-stay visas for Turkish citizens and their families at 12 Aegean islands and a deepening of bilateral trade.
The upcoming meeting between the Greek prime minister and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first in a year and a half after that of September 2024, and the meeting of the HLCC are important and are expected to highlight the necessity of keeping channels of communication open in order to avoid crises and ease tensions.
Athens and Ankara agree that issues concerning relations between the two countries should be examined in the framework of bilateral dialogue and both sides believe that the improved atmosphere between the two countries contributes to the stability of the surrounding region. The topics addressed at the HLCC and the members of the mission will be decided on the basis of the positive agenda and political dialogue that is already underway between the two sides.
Invitation sent to PM Mitsotakis to visit Ankara on February 11, Turkish presidency official announces
ISTANBUL (ANA-MPA/ M. Zacharaki) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent an invitation to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to visit Ankara on February 11 and attend the 6th meeting of the Greece-Turkiye High-Level Cooperation Council, according to the Turkish presidency’s director of communications Burhanettin Duran.
In a post on the social media platform X on Thursday, Duran confirmed that Mitsotakis has been invited to carry out an official visit on February 11 in order to participate in the HLCC, which is to take place in Ankara and will be chaired by President Erdogan and the Greek premier. He noted that the meeting, held with the participation of the appropriate ministers, will examine all aspects of bilateral relations between Greece and Turkiye and explore the possibilities for further cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
He said the two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments during the meetings, while the agenda of the visit includes the signing of various documents aiming to further strengthen bilateral ties.
