Cracking the Code on Greek-Turkish Dialogue
Diplomats from Turkey and Greece discuss politics in face-to-face encounter in Ankara.
The ongoing political gabfest between Turkey and Greece continues its quest for strengthening bilateral ties and crushing regional tensions. Last Thursday, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay and Alexandra Papadopoulou, his Greek counterpart, locked horns in Ankara for the fourth round of political dialogue sessions. The engaged atmosphere, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement, underscored both parties' determination to bolster cooperation on multiple levels.
In this meeting, they tackled key aspects of bilateral relations, scrutinized developments in bilateral synergies since their last powwow, and strategized for the anticipated 6th High-Level Cooperation Council gathering, which is slated to take place in Turkey. They also swapped perspectives on recent regional and international issues that have a significant impact on fostering amicable relations.
A Peek at Greece
The standoff between these Mediterranean neighbors has a chequered past, littered with disputes over migration concerns, Cyprus, energy exploration, Aegean sovereignty, and more. Despite the tension, both countries have taken incremental steps toward normalization since late 2023. Nevertheless, Turkey persists in denouncing Greece's maritime boundary claims, asserting they trample on Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sovereign rights. Meanwhile, Greece has linked Turkey's participation in European Union defense projects to revoking the 1995 casus belli declaration against Greece.
The Road Ahead
The 6th High-Level Cooperation Council is anticipated later this year, although no official date has been set. Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to raise the casus belli issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the upcoming NATO summit, scheduled for late June 2025. This encounter could potentially pave the way for a breakthrough in relations between these two neighboring states.
- The ongoing political dialogues between Greece and Turkey, as seen in the recent fourth round of sessions, aim to improve cooperation on multiple levels, encompassing key aspects of bilateral relations and addressed general-news topics such as recent regional and international issues that affect their amicable relations.
- As both countries prepare for the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council meeting this year, tensions remain over contentious issues like the disputed maritime boundary claims by Greece, which Turkey deems a violation of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sovereign rights, and Greece's insistence on linking Turkey's participation in European Union defense projects to the revoking of the 1995 casus belli declaration against Greece, creating a political dynamic that extends beyond the general-news scope of bilateral relations.
