“Calm waters” with Ankara, yellow card in Skopje – The background to the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting 2024-07-15 08:24:24

The meeting, despite the initial predictions, lasted regarding 45 minutes and took place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.

Messrs. Mitsotakis and Erdogan left together from the room where the allies of the NATO member countries were meeting and headed towards the small room where their meeting would take place. In this context, the opportunity to exchange a few words while walking, however, before the start of the meeting they did not make any statements. They were joined in the room by their diplomatic advisors, Anna-Maria Boura and Akif Tsagatai Kilic, but also by the two foreign ministers, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, who then held talks with each other, in order to discuss practical details of the ongoing Greek-Turkish dialogue.

Mitsotakis and Erdogan focused in this meeting on the progress of Greek-Turkish relations and especially on the issues of the “positive agenda”, in view of the restart of the dialogue from the autumn and their actual meeting, probably in September in New York.

During the meeting, issues of international and regional interest were discussed, emphasizing the latest developments in the Middle East and Ukraine. The two leaders proceeded to briefly review bilateral relations following their last meeting last May in Ankara. The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the Turkish authorities in the fight once morest irregular immigration.

The two leaders agreed on the mutual benefit of maintaining a climate of calm in bilateral relations. They also agreed to intensify cooperation to achieve the goal of doubling the volume of bilateral trade. They also discussed their next meeting to be held in September in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Prime Minister referred to the Cyprus issue, stressing that 50 years following the tragedy of ’74, Cyprus, a member state of the EU, cannot remain divided and reiterated the need to restart the talks to resolve the Cyprus issue.

Note, as we revealed last Sunday, that the two leaders will be on “parallel roads” in Cyprus in the coming days. The prime minister will be the first Greek prime minister to attend the events of the Republic of Cyprus on July 20 in Nicosia for the black anniversary of Attila, invited by the Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

On the other hand, Tayyip Erdogan will be in the Occupied, watching the parade that is organized, as every year, while making increasingly provocative statements, in an attempt to consolidate the prospect of a two-state solution. It is obvious that the two leaders will talk regarding this issue, if only briefly.

Finally, in his introduction to the Synod, the Prime Minister referred to the Western Balkans and the need to respect the Prespa Agreement. As the Prime Minister said, progress, security and prosperity are based on respect for International Law and international agreements.

Referring to the US president, Joe Biden, who underlined the importance of the Western Balkans for the security of the Alliance, Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a special reference to the Prespa Agreement, which, he said, allowed the enlargement of the Alliance with the accession of North Macedonia .

The full implementation of the Prespa Agreement, the prime minister stressed, is essential for the Alliance, for the Western Balkans and for the international community.

Violation or selective application of the Prespa Agreement, he continued, would undermine the credibility of all efforts to resolve other outstanding issues in the Western Balkans and jeopardize stability and security in the region. “Pacta sunt servanda. We must all remember this,” he emphasized.