Kastellorizo, or Megisti, known as Meis in Turkish, a Greek island about 1 nautical mile off the Turkish coast, will allow Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to observe Türkiye with the naked eye and test the waters for room to improve relations with Türkiye and the potential for tensions in the Aegean Sea.
The two countries have been at odds over Aegean rights in recent months, with tensions escalating over Türkiye’s declaration of marine parks, including one near Kaş opposite Kastellorizo, and Mitsotakis’ warning that Greece may consider expanding its territorial waters in a move that could challenge Türkiye’s maritime borders.
“I think they’d hear us from Greece if we shout from Kaş,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists earlier this month when asked how Türkiye would respond to Greece’s arming of the Aegean islands. At the time, it was unclear whether Mitsotakis would attend events marking the island’s liberation from Italian occupation in 1943 during World War II.
Although Türkiye and Greece are pursuing rapprochement after decades of hostilities, Greece’s expanding alliances, particularly with Türkiye’s rivals, and threatening rhetoric by Greek politicians have the potential to undermine efforts to improve ties. In parallel with Türkiye’s strengthening of its defense systems and establishment of new alliances, such as the Mecca pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Greece seeks to gain the upper hand. This was the case with a major defense deal signed with Türkiye’s archrival Israel last month. Mitsotakis, meanwhile, is conducting diplomacy with both rivals and friends of Türkiye. He has stepped up diplomatic contacts with Egypt and France and is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in October. He was in Egypt this week, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi alongside Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides.
The Aegean Sea is at the heart of the rivalry between Ankara and Athens. Türkiye opposes any Greek military deployment on the eastern Aegean islands, arguing that they should remain demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. Greece, however, cites a “threat” from Türkiye and says it has the right under international law to defend its sovereignty. The two countries have recently been at odds over the declaration of marine parks intended to preserve marine biodiversity, with both accusing each other of attempting to violate their maritime borders.
“Greece should know that Türkiye has no intention of grabbing the territory of any other country, but Türkiye also has no intention of allowing anyone to violate its rights. Ignoring international treaties will not benefit anyone. Anyone who interprets Türkiye’s level-headed approach based on common sense as weakness is making a grave mistake. Greece should reverse course and stop arming demilitarized islands. History is a good guide for those who can learn from the past,” Erdoğan said in a recent interview, reminding Greece of the troubled past between the two countries.
On Wednesday, Türkiye marked the anniversary of the final push against Greek invaders more than a century ago during the Great Offensive, which ended with Greek soldiers withdrawing to vessels in the Aegean from Izmir, north of Kaş.
