Following the Feb. 6 earthquakes, two Greek ministers have expressed conflicting viewpoints regarding their country’s relationship with Türkiye. While one minister asserted that the disaster could facilitate the improvement of dialogue between the two nations, the other expressed doubts and uncertainty over such a possibility.

According to Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, the aftermath of the twin earthquakes has created an atmosphere that allows Athens to restart dialogue with Ankara, mainly as Greece was among the first countries to offer condolences and send rescuers, workers and aid supplies.

"Despite both countries gearing up for general elections, which limits the prospects of making long-term progress, it’s possible to restart negotiations on confidence-building measures or explanatory talks," Dendias said Thursday in an interview with Skai TV, one of the country’s leading private broadcasters.

Dendias underlined that a positive climate is prevailing in bilateral ties thanks to the contributions made by both sides.

"For me, the main task right now is not finding solutions but protecting the positive climate," the Greek diplomat noted.

When reminded of the tensions between Türkiye and Greece before the disaster, Dendias said he focused on the current situation’s positive aspects. "At the moment, there is an excellent climate, which I think can pave the way for the development of unified approaches to complicated issues."

He also noted that Greek aid to Türkiye, consisting of rescue teams and relief materials, was purely driven by humanitarian motives, with no hidden agenda involved.

In the past two weeks, Dendias, the first among foreign ministers to visit Türkiye after the disaster, has made similar remarks, touting a "change of tone" by Türkiye toward Greece that enables "relative optimism" in ties between the rival nations.

Uncertain rapprochement

However, Dendias’ colleague, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos was less optimistic about thawing relations with Ankara in the wake of the tremors that leveled thousands of buildings and left at least 43,556 people dead in 11 southeastern Turkish provinces earlier this month.

Panagiotopoulos said Wednesday that he was unsure if a new era began with Türkiye.

"Our ongoing aid efforts to Türkiye should be a humanitarian duty. We don’t have any other agenda," Panagiotopoulos told public broadcaster ERT.

The Greek government had sent 80 tons of medical and first aid equipment. In contrast, thousands of Greeks had responded to calls for help to quake-hit Türkiye, reviving memories of how a spontaneous outpouring of support after a similar disaster in 1999 brought the neighbors together when they seemed to be on the brink of war.

The earthquakes also prompted the first contact between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in months, as other Greek officials welcomed "the opportunity to reduce tensions" with a warm reception by Turkish society.

Military buildup

On the other hand, Greece’s ambitious re-armament program remains a pricking issue between the neighbors. Athens continues to invest heavily in its military, signing multiple big-ticket arms agreements, including a deal for drones from Israel, Rafale jets from France, and upgrades to its F-16 fleet from the U.S.

Greece also recently approached Washington to purchase at least 20 F-35 stealth aircraft potentially.

Panagiotopoulos Wednesday revealed that Athens expects to take delivery of the first U.S.-made warplane by 2028.

On acquiring corvette-type warships for the Greek Navy, Panagiotopoulos said that France and Italy made reasonable offers, which would provide a sizable amount of work for Greek businesses.

He reiterated that his country does not intend to transfer its S-300 long-range Russian-made air defense systems to Ukraine as they are needed in Greece.

As part of their strategic military cooperation with the U.S., Athens has allowed Washington to deploy military bases on its soil and use the critical port of Alexandroupoli as a transport point for "defensive weaponry, trucks and artillery for U.S. troops operating in Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as NATO allies."

Türkiye has repeatedly warned Greece against indulging in a wasteful arms race and denounced U.S. military buildup in its neighbor, calling for good-faith dialogue instead to resolve outstanding issues regarding the Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, and Cyprus amid heightened tensions.

Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, often reiterate Türkiye would "not hesitate to utilize all means to protect its rights and interests" and urge Greece to refrain from provocative actions and violations.