Turkiye-Greek relations proceed to heat as leaders meet once more

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a big six-hour go to to Turkiye final week, reciprocating Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s go to from December. This assembly marks a noteworthy interval of relative calm between the traditionally contentious neighbors, regardless of some important voices rising from opposition events in Greece. Greek media shops emphasised the widely heat ambiance of the discussions. The 2 leaders met with solely their interpreters current, permitting them to delve deeply into a variety of important points.

The historic context of Turkiye-Greek relations is deeply rooted in Greece’s declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Since then, Greece has progressively expanded its borders, usually on the expense of Turkiye. Presently, Greece is looking for management over uninhabited rocks and geographic formations which might be in shut proximity to the Anatolian mainland but lots of of miles from the Greek mainland. The Treaty of Lausanne, which established the present borders between the 2 nations, stipulates that if an island shouldn’t be particularly named in an settlement, it reverts to its authentic proprietor.

Former Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis as soon as introduced consideration to this situation by posing a rhetorical query about Greek sentiments if an island in Piraeus harbor had been to belong to Turkiye. This query underscores the delicate nature of territorial disputes between the 2 nations. Nonetheless, Turkish-Greek relations possess the potential and means to enhance if sensible and robust governments are in energy in each nations. In recent times, Turkiye employed a threatening tone, epitomized by the chorus of a Turkish tune, “We might come one night time unexpectedly.” Conversely, Mitsotakis used his platform within the US Congress to put all varieties of blame on Turkiye. Luckily, each leaders have lately adopted a extra measured and calm demeanor, ushering in a interval of relative stability. Whereas main points such because the delimitation of the continental shelf, the width of territorial waters, and air site visitors management stay taboo and unresolved, they’re put aside for future, extra reasoned discussions.

Key matters at this yr’s assembly included the renovation of Istanbul’s Kariye (Chora) Church. Initially constructed within the fourth century, the church grew to become a mosque in 1511 following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. In 1948, a restoration program sponsored by the Byzantine Institute of America and the Dumbarton Oaks Heart for Byzantine Research remodeled it right into a museum. Nonetheless, in 2020, Erdogan’s authorities reconverted it right into a mosque. Regardless of Mitsotakis elevating this situation, there’s little likelihood that Erdogan will alter its standing.

There’s a putting imbalance between the variety of mosques in Athens and church buildings in Istanbul. Whereas the Greek Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarchate operates in Istanbul with quite a few church buildings scattered all through the town, Athens had no mosque till 2020. This disparity underscores the cultural and non secular variations that proceed to affect relations between the 2 nations.

Mitsotakis rigorously averted any reference to the Turkish minority in Greece. The 2 nations have totally different perceptions concerning the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. Mitsotakis persistently referred to them because the Muslim minority, even supposing the Muslim minority in Greece consists primarily of ethnic Turks, with just a few exceptions. There’s a clear imbalance between the dimensions of the Turkish minority in Greece and the Greek minority in Turkiye, which is predominantly positioned in Istanbul and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos close to the Dardanelles. The Greek minority in Turkiye has been reducing steadily and will face extinction in just a few generations. In distinction, the Turkish minority in Greece stays substantial.

The Gaza battle emerged as a very contentious situation through the talks. Erdogan talked about that over 1,000 Hamas members had been receiving remedy in Turkish hospitals. Mitsotakis reiterated his authorities’s stance that considers Hamas a terrorist group, whereas Erdogan views it because the professional consultant of the Palestinian individuals. Each leaders stood agency on their positions, and Erdogan elaborated additional on Turkiye’s stance on Hamas. Finally, the events had no selection however to conform to disagree on this matter.

On the difficulty of Cyprus, Erdogan and Mitsotakis even have divergent views. Turkiye advocates for an answer primarily based on the present realities on the island, that means a two-state answer. In distinction, Mitsotakis believes that any answer must be grounded in UN parameters.

In an announcement to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Erdogan expressed optimism about Turkish-Greek relations, stating that they’d reached their highest degree due to the Athens Declaration signed final yr. He additionally assured that Greece’s venture to determine maritime park areas in varied components of the Aegean and Ionian seas wouldn’t hurt bilateral relations. Concerning hydrocarbon cooperation, Erdogan emphasised that this must be an space of cooperation relatively than confrontation, warning that an power platform within the Jap Mediterranean that excludes Turkiye would create a big vacuum.

Erdogan additionally commented on the American position in Turkish-Greek relations, asserting that the 2 nations have their very own efficient communication channels and don’t want exterior mediation. To keep up and enhance the dialogue between Turkiye and Greece, each leaders agreed {that a} low-profile method could be simplest.