By Niki Zorba

The collection of information on the content of the phone call between the Prime Minister and the leader of the official opposition, regarding the Mitsotaki-Erdogan meeting in Istanbul, is poor.

Koumoundourou’s sources, after the end of the Mitsotakis-Tsipras communication, were satisfied with general information: The phone call lasted about 15-20 minutes, Mr. Mitsotakis informed Alexis Tsipras about what he discussed and what he did not discuss with the Turkish president ( eg energy) while the president of SYRIZA, for his part, reiterated his position on the need for open Athens-Ankara channels at the highest level given the red lines of the Greek side.

Koumoundourou, however, was reluctant to give more information about what was discussed between Mitsotakis and Tsipras, insisting that Greek-Turkish is not a field for “leaks”.

In any case, based on the same sources, the Mitsotaki-Tsipras discussion took place in a good atmosphere.

Earlier, Capital.gr in a relevant report broadcast:

SYRIZA appeared not only encouraging but also supportive from the very beginning for direct Athens-Ankara contacts at the highest level (namely Mitsotaki-Erdogan). This was requested by the president himself from the prime minister last week at the leaders’ discussion on the Russian invasion. Before the Mitsotaki-Erdogan meeting was even announced.

After the fourth, yesterday, SYRIZA with a statement, expressed caution and asked for official information about what was said in the Bosporus between the two leaders and the fine print of their agreement:

“We expect official information from the Government for today’s meeting in Istanbul and especially for the conditions set for the organization of the Supreme Cooperation Council and for the strengthening of energy cooperation.” refers exactly to the relevant announcement of Koumoundourou.

Volume reduction

The caution, which as it emerges from the same announcement, mainly concerns how, how much and under what conditions the moratorium will be reached to de-escalate the tension in the Aegean and the “brake” on the Turkish provocation.

Positive to open the channels of communication at this level, Koumoundourou said, but: “these meetings should result in a steady reduction of tension and not just be another opportunity for Turkey to further strengthen its international image until the next crisis.

What does this mean in practice? SYRIZA does not consider it in the country’s interest to conclude “ceasefire” agreements with Turkey without a specific strategy and content, first assessing the role of Tayyip Erdogan on the international stage as a regional power and considering that dialogue on bilateral issues, both the Turkish president will strengthen his power and role.

Hence, the official opposition acts as an accelerator of the developments on the Greek-Turkish front, stating that:

has been calling on the government for more than a year to “abandon procrastinating diplomacy and take advantage of both the US change of government and the revised EU-Turkey customs union negotiations to engage the neighbor in a meaningful dialogue, with clear red lines , to reduce the intensity, with the ultimate goal of recourse to The Hague for continental shelf / EEZ “.

In conclusion, according to a competent source of SYRIZA, what the main opposition party demands is a strategy to reduce the Turkish tension, not cyclically – but through a dialogue with Turkey on specific data that will bind Tayyip Erdogan.