Türkiye and Greece are holding a political dialogue in the Turkish capital of Ankara as the Aegean rivals work to advance a rapprochement that started last year.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and his Greek counterpart Alexandra Papadopoulos will discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
This dialogue is part of ongoing political discussions between the two countries, said the ministry.
After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Türkiye and Greece have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations, which moved into a new chapter with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s landmark visit to Athens in December.
During the visit, the sides announced a friendship declaration, visa facilitation for Turkish citizens for 10 Greek islands in the northern Aegean for up to seven days and the decreased flow of irregular migrants to Greece.
While officials on both sides have expressed commitment to maintaining the positive climate, the issues are longstanding and deep-rooted, and neither side expects the process to be without turbulence, particularly in the Aegean where Turkish and Greek jets often scuffled until very recently.
Earlier in January, both Ankara and Athens reached respective deals with Washington for fighter jets, raising concerns of fresh skirmishes in the region.
Ankara has repeatedly warned its neighbor against entering an arms race with Türkiye, particularly on building a military presence on the disputed Aegean islands since the 1960s, in violation of postwar treaties.
Greece's purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and the upping of defense budgets are meant to counter the protection of Turkish interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece says it needs to defend the islands against a potential attack from Türkiye, but Turkish officials said continued militarization of the islands could lead to Ankara questioning their ownership.
For Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the demarcation of the continental shelf and economic exclusive zone is the only “difference” between the countries, but even if the issue isn’t resolved, Türkiye and Greece “should be able to coexist and focus on a positive agenda.”
Mitsotakis is expected to visit Ankara this May as a reciprocation for Erdoğan’s visit.
