Kyriakos Mitsotakis won the second round of general elections in Greece, held 35 days apart. His conservative New Democracy Party (NDP) secured 40.8% of the votes but fell short of the required 46% to form a government alone. Nevertheless, retaining the same voter share as the 2019 elections is undeniably successful.
Prior to the election, polls indicated that Mitsotakis would emerge as the frontrunner, but his support was not reaching the 30% threshold. With 68% of the population stating that Greece was on the wrong path, the economy was unquestionably the primary concern.
When internal affairs took a turn for the worse, Mitsotakis, like many Greek politicians, resorted to stoking tensions with Türkiye. After all, he had many issues, such as the Cyprus dispute, territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, and asserting rights in uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea.
Then Mitsotakis engaged in arms buildup activities on neighboring islands in the Aegean, which raised concerns from Türkiye. Despite warnings from Türkiye, he stated that he was determined to continue the dialogue with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan without involving third parties. However, he quickly forgot his promise to Erdoğan during their meeting in Istanbul.
In May 2022, while Turkish delegates continued negotiations to acquire F-16 aircraft from the United States, Mitsotakis took the podium in the U.S. Congress. He delivered a sensational speech against Ankara to convince Congress members not to sell F-16s to NATO member Türkiye.
His support overwhelmed him so much that he remarked, "Even in Greece, I haven't been applauded this much before." Nevertheless, he did not seem inclined to question why.
Even his opponent Alexis Tsipras, the chairperson of Syriza, who received around 18% of the votes in the recent elections, had to warn Mitsotakis about his excessive nationalism toward Türkiye.
Erdoğan also made a decisive statement during the NATO Summit held in Madrid at the end of June when asked about Mitsotakis' request for a meeting. He replied, "That's over. They should get their act together."
The Feb. 6 tremors in Türkiye, which claimed the lives of 50,000 people, changed the entire landscape. Mitsotakis was one of the first European leaders to call Erdoğan, offering sincere support. He said, "Let's start anew through this occasion."
Following a train accident in the city of Larissa in late February, Erdoğan sent get-well messages to Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Mitsotakis.
Both leaders entered their respective elections in this softened landscape and refrained from targeting each other during their campaigns.
The blossoming dialogue continued when Mitsotakis called President Erdoğan to congratulate him on his election victory on May 28. Finally, the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications announced President Erdoğan called Mitsotakis to congratulate him after his swearing-in.
According to reports, Erdoğan and Mitsotakis will meet during the breaks of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on July 12. The rumors suggest that the offer for the meeting came from the Greek side, indicating that Mitsotakis realized he could win elections without escalating tensions with Türkiye.
In conclusion, as I have frequently emphasized in this column, if third parties stay out of it, Türkiye and Greece can resolve their issues. The two neighboring peoples and states facing each other in the Aegean Sea have no other problem beyond the involvement of third parties.
