Relations between archrivals Türkiye and Greece have recently improved in several areas, including increased diplomacy between their senior officials, as proven by Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos’ visit to Türkiye on Tuesday.

After years of escalation in tensions between the two neighbors, the diplomatic climate changed course swiftly and significantly after twin earthquakes shook southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6, affecting some 13.5 million people and killing over 50,000.

Despite territorial and energy disputes exacerbating regional tensions, the two neighbors, situated on seismic fault lines, also have a tradition of helping each other in times of natural disasters and Greece was among the first countries to convey its condolences and offer aid after the disaster.

Backing words with action, Athens immediately mobilized the elite EMAK teams of its Civic Protection Ministry, arriving in Türkiye less than 24 hours after the quakes to join rescue efforts.

They were followed by an initial batch of humanitarian aid that included much-needed blankets and tents, accompanied by the Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides as a gesture of empathy.

Several donation drives were also launched for quake victims by Greek public agencies, such as the Central Union of Municipalities in Greece (KEDE), the Greek Red Cross, and civic organizations, including trade unions and political parties.

This show of solidarity by the Greek state and people in times of need and its wholehearted reception on the Turkish side "opened a window of opportunity" in bilateral relations.

Ankara, in turn, sought to return this goodwill when a tragic train accident claimed dozens of lives near the northern Greek town of Tempi on Feb. 28 and Türkiye became the first country to offer condolences and aid.

Türkiye also allowed a Greek inmate who lost his son in the accident to attend the funeral in Greece and eventually transfer to a Greek prison.

Diplomatic contacts too have flourished, with the tragedy prompting the first contact between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in months and a series of meetings between senior officials.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu came together with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Brussels on March 20 for a meeting that produced a major announcement of support in international agencies. Greece pledged to back Türkiye's candidacy for the position of secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Ankara did the same for Athens' bid for a non-permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council in 2025-2026.

Greece and Türkiye also restarted their "positive agenda" initiative, which Çavuşoğlu and Dendias initially agreed upon in April 2021.

In the fourth round of the talks under a positive agenda framework, Turkish and Greek delegations led on both sides by deputy foreign ministers came together in the Turkish capital Ankara on March 22.

In a joint statement, the parties said they discussed headway in the agenda's 25 topics. These include cooperation and progress in the fields of entrepreneurship, tourism, energy, transport and telecommunications, maritime affairs, information and communications technology, education, social security, health, and the environment.

"Many items have been successfully concluded. Satisfactory progress has been achieved on several other items on the list."

During the latest major visit, when Greece's defense chief Panagiotopoulos came to Ankara, he and the National Defense minister shared warm messages of amity as Minister Hulusi Akar said: "I sincerely believe that Türkiye and Greece can peacefully resolve their issues. We are two neighbors that have a multidimensional friendship like the multidimensional problems. We hope we can engage in dialogue without waiting for another disaster."

He expressed hope that the Mediterranean and Aegean would be a "sea of friendship" between the two countries while Panagiotopoulos described Akar as his "dear friend" and said they would talk about fighting against new challenges like disasters.

Acknowledging the standing problems between the neighbors, Akar said, "As two civilized countries, Türkiye and Greece can address these problems in line with a spirit of alliances, via a peaceful manner, mutual respect and dialogue."

Türkiye expects the continuation of the current attitude, and positive and constructive atmosphere that came to the fore after the massive earthquakes, he said.

He and his Greek colleague both voiced the will to establish stability in bilateral ties and readiness to further the solidarity and cooperation between their nations "within possible means."

Türkiye and Greece have often locked horns over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.

Now, with both countries slated to hold elections next month, more concrete steps may follow if the current climate of good relations persists.