Navigating the complexities of their historic ties, Türkiye and Greece will once again try to overcome their differences when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits Ankara on Monday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will receive the Greek leader a few months after his visit to Athens. Both sides are cautious about advancing their hostilities, which forked over decades, but they are willing to move forward, at least on a few issues.
Before becoming NATO allies, each fought a war against the other, Greece for its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and Türkiye to liberate its lands from Greek invaders in the aftermath of World War I. Although relations were surprisingly good shortly after Türkiye won its battle against Greek occupation, ties somewhat deteriorated in decades following the death of Republic of Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
As President Erdoğan said in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini ahead of Mitsotakis's visit, it is time to break the relations free of the “walls” of prejudice they are squeezed between. “It is up to us to tear down these walls,” Erdoğan said, adding that sides needed solution-oriented and honest steps.
After decades of tensions, occasionally broken by brief periods of reconciliation, the daylong visit marks a new phase in their relations, diplomats said.
In December, the regional rivals, who are divided over the island of Cyprus and the issue of migration through their respective waters, signed a declaration calling for "friendly and good neighborly relations, recognizing the importance of a mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.” The meeting did lead to some breakthroughs, such as new special visas for Turks to visit Greek islands near the Turkish coast. That has led to a tripling of Turkish visitors.
Disagreements remain over Cyprus, which, since Türkiye’s military operation to save Turkish Cypriots from Greek Cypriot attacks in 1974, has been divided into the internationally recognized state of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognized only by Türkiye.
Türkiye and Greece have also struggled to cooperate on irregular migration. Migrants from Asia and Africa use the seas around both countries to reach Europe.
Monday’s talks will focus on cooperation on a series of topics, Turkish media outlets reported. Mitsotakis and Erdoğan will also discuss thorny issues, such as the state of the Western Thrace Turkish Community, a minority in Greece that long complained of mistreatment by Greek authorities. Mitsotakis and Erdoğan will also discuss increasing bilateral trade volume, which has neared $6 billion (TL 195 billion).
This is the fourth meeting of Mitsotakis and Erdoğan in one year, it but will be the first in Türkiye. Earlier, the two men held talks at a NATO summit in Vilnius and a U.N. summit in New York before Erdoğan traveled to Athens in December. All meetings ended with the will to keep channels of communication open between neighbors on two sides of the Aegean Sea.
In his remarks to Kathimerini, President Erdoğan said they wanted to elevate their relations to a level “unprecedented in history.” Under Erdoğan, Türkiye both cut off ties with former allies and normalized relations with old foes. The Turkish president, as he mentioned in his interview with Kathimerini again, pursues “win-win” diplomacy with other countries based on mutual interests. These mutual interests often involve economic cooperation. Most recently, Türkiye mended ties with Egypt after years of frozen relations with a landmark visit by Erdoğan to Cairo.
“Procrastination doesn’t solve problems. We will do everything in our power to ensure that peace will prevail on both sides of the Aegean Sea,” Erdoğan said.
For this, the president counts on the “climate of harmony” he witnessed in Athens and promised to show the same hospitality Mitsotakis showed him in the Greek capital.
Sovereignty issues in the Aegean Sea are the most complex and Erdoğan says they damage the dialogue. Erdoğan stressed the need for agreement but also highlighted that Türkiye would not accept “de facto” situations, as he answered a question about Greece’s declaration of marine parks in the Aegean. Erdoğan said sovereignty issues can be resolved by complying with international laws.
Turkish-Greek relations had their fair share of highs and lows and for Erdoğan, the worst in recent memory was the “protection of coup plotters.” He was referring to an incident in 2016 when a group of military officers hijacking a helicopter fled into Greece after a coup attempt perpetrated by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) was quelled. Erdoğan said it was the lowest point in relations when Greece gave protection to putschists, despite being a country itself suffering from a coup.
On the other hand, Erdoğan hailed the Declaration of Athens, which he signed with Greece, as the highest point in relations in more than two decades since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been in power in Türkiye. “This declaration marked the beginning of a new phase in our relations. I believe that it will form the basis of a new era in relations,” he told Kathimerini.
Athens wants better ties with Türkiye amid ongoing global challenges, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said last week. "It is important to meet, to discuss, to decompress the crises, to organize our next steps without necessarily expecting that some lofty agreements will come,” Gerapetritis said.
The foreign minister was responding to a question on whether Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis would move ahead with his working visit to Ankara after Türkiye’s recent decision to reopen Kariye – or Chora – Church in Istanbul as a mosque. "It was a basic assumption from the beginning that our basic positions (of Greece and Türkiye) are not going to change ... What we seek through the Greek-Turkish approach is, first of all, to have a period of calmness,” he said. According to Gerapetritis, a similar state of affairs is valid with regard to Greece’s plan to establish two marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and another in the Aegean Sea, and Türkiye’s objections to it.
"We will never compromise about the matters essential and established for Greece’s interests. Correspondingly, the Turks also believe they should stick to their basic positions,” he added.
"It is preferable to have a quiet neighborhood in an extremely difficult and unstable international environment than to have a finger on the trigger and wait all the time.”
When asked particularly about the Greek opposition’s criticism that Mitsotakis’ government is pursuing a policy of appeasement toward Türkiye, he said: "I want to emphasize that peace, prosperity, national security and national self-confidence do not go through cheap verbalizations, nor through dangerous maneuvers in the field."
"I think it is our duty for future generations to leave a legacy of peace in our wider region,” he concluded.
Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Saturday that Mitsotakis' visit is "extremely important" for stronger ties. Speaking at the Turkish-Greek Media and Academy Forum at a hotel in Istanbul, Altun said the visit marks a "serious opportunity" to create joint solutions for regional problems.
Stating that the relations between Türkiye and Greece are, first and foremost, a neighborly relationship and shaped by geographical proximity, Altun emphasized that the two countries are geopolitically located in one of the most challenging regions of the world.
Saying that the geographical proximity that brings Türkiye and Greece together and the geopolitical difficulties and challenges they face are the elements that they frequently refer to when discussing relations between the two countries, Altun said another very important issue that is noteworthy in the relations between Türkiye and Greece is historical, cultural and social ties.
Pointing out that the ties between Turkish and Greek societies diversify cultures and cultural assets and enrich daily life, Altun said: "Undoubtedly, this situation is a great opportunity for both Türkiye and Greece. We have all seen together how strong these ties are in the recent painful experiences we have had. The spirit of solidarity displayed by our countries, both during the earthquakes of Feb. 6 in Türkiye and during the great forest fires in Greece, was a concrete sign of this closeness."
The director also said friendship and solidarity between Türkiye and Greece is "undoubtedly an achievement that should be further developed and carried forward through diplomatic initiatives."
"I am convinced that the sincere mutual efforts between Türkiye and Greece will not only benefit our countries. It will also contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in our region. Thus, it will also contribute to global peace, stability and security," Altun said.
