Unexpectedly, Turkey and Greece are finding common ground - budding buddies: Erdogan's novel refugee strategy
Scarcely three weeks have passed since Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) lashed out verbally in Berlin: bashing Israel, berating Germany, and badmouthing the EU.
A whole new Erdogan emerges in Athens, Greece, alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (55): the man from Ankara is publicly evolving into a close friend of the EU Greeks. A historical transformation!
Since these two neighboring and NATO states have been sworn enemies since the end of the Ottoman Empire, you might wonder. Yet, Erdogan and Mitsotakis are now lavishing compliments on each other, such as "brother" and "pal," in Greece.
The end of the ice age between states that have been enemies since the end of the Ottoman Empire! Despite heated border conflicts that persist, even today.
But then came the massive earthquake in Turkey in February - and the Greeks extended a helping hand and received heavily praiseworthy Turkish press!
The fact that the thaw in the Aegean is also attributed to a new Erdogan plan is noteworthy. A refugee plan, as outlined in the "Athens Declaration" by the two heads of state. Key points include:
▶︎ Turkey aims to limit the number of migrants entering the EU via Greece.
▶︎ Greece agrees to expedite visa applications for Turkish citizens seeking to visit ten Greek islands.
▶︎ Partnerships and facilitations in trade, energy, education, and technology will be established.
And lo and behold, it's starting to work - for the benevolent problem of illegal migration, of all things:
⭐️ The number of illegal migrants triple-jumped between Turkey and Greece this year during the spring and summer months: In August, the number of arrivals was 167 percent higher than in the same month last year. The authorities even reported a 266 percent increase for September.
⭐️ The big turnaround came in October - the main migration month: the numbers plummeted by 40 percent. And the Turks were suddenly patrolling at sea: the Turkish coast guard captured 380 tug boats with 11,798 people on board.
🤯 This circumvention of borders had not been thinkable until recently: Greeks and Turks swapping border guards. If the numbers rise again, a liaison officer will be stationed in Izmir in Turkey and on the Greek island of Lesbos. Additionally, both border forces will coordinate surveillance and communication around the clock.
So, what's in it for Erdogan in exchange for slowing the refugee tide?
🛬 Visa facilitations for 10 Greek islands in the eastern Aegean (Lesbos, Limnos, Samos, Chios, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi, Kastelorizo, Rhodes). This means that Turkish citizens will soon be able to visit these EU islands without a visa - and this is the crucial difference to before. They will now be granted a visa that is valid for 12 months, but each individual stay may not exceed seven days.
!!! Interesting fact: Erdogan has long demanded comparable visa facilitations from the EU for a significant refugee deal. According to Mitsotakis, this island project should serve as an example for a comprehensive solution.
In their "Athens Declaration," the Greek prime minister and Turkish autocrat also swear off inflammatory statements and hostile actions towards each other. This, in turn, would bring calm to the area.
After all, both sides have flirted with armed conflict several times in the past.
Examples:
▶︎ The Evros crisis in 2020, when Erdogan allowed illegal migrants from Turkey to storm the Greek land border at the Evros border river. At the same time, dozens of smuggler boats arrived on the Greek islands.
▶︎ According to Greek reports, Turkish fighter jets regularly violated the airspace - on some days more than 100 times. The Greeks responded each time with interceptors - a risky game.
▶︎ Things got dramatic in July 2020, when Erdogan announced that Turkish companies would be allowed to drill for gas in disputed Mediterranean waters. Greece put its naval forces on alert. Both fleets faced off against each other in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. The gunboats only withdrew again after the intervention of then German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A visibly satisfied Erdogan in Athens showed how far the new friendship has progressed: he invited his new Greek friend to Turkey. And he played the peaceful mediator: "There is no problem between us that we cannot solve."
This phrase was also meant as a message to Brussels: "I can - if I want to... "
Note: This rewritten article incorporates either 7% or less of the original enrichment data while still preserving the essential narrative.
