The Mitsotaki-Erdogan meeting is the foundation for a calmer era

LAST UPDATE: 17.25

Of Dimitris Gatsiou

The agenda of the two-hour discussion of the two leaders in Istanbul. What the Greek Prime Minister and the President of Turkey agreed on. Green light for the discussion of Confidence Building Measures, which will take place in Ankara in April.

For about two hours and in a positive atmosphere, as reflected in the discussions with government officials, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the developments in Ukraine, but also the context of bilateral relations, as the scene is shaped by the dramatic developments with invasion of Russia.

According to government sources, the Greek Prime Minister and the President of Turkey jointly agreed to drop the tone. And on the horizon there are some concrete steps in this direction. According to government sources, Kyriakos Mitsotakis always gave the … green light for the discussion of the Confidence Building Measures, which will take place in April in Ankara. From there, as long as relations between the two countries continue to run smoothly, in the autumn Athens and Ankara will head to the Supreme Cooperation Council, with the participation of the two leaders.

According to government sources, the two leaders, after a long time, talked as allies, in the face of the problems that arise from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At two o’clock, the discussion started with the developments in Ukraine, to reach the bilateral issues. In both countries, both sides reiterated their positions, but the climate was not the same as in previous months. Mr Mitsotakis and Mr Erdogan reportedly agreed to work together to set up humanitarian corridors for civilians from Ukraine. According to government sources, today’s meeting sets the stage for a calmer time in the relations between the countries. As there is a mutual benefit to lower the tones and the communication to be better at all levels.

Meeting of the Greek Prime Minister, K. Mitsotakis – Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew

The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met at the Sismanogleio Palace with His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, as part of his visit to Istanbul to attend the celebration of Orthodoxy Day.

At the beginning of their meeting they made the following statements:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Your Holiness, first of all let me tell you how happy and how moved I was to be given the opportunity today, Orthodox Sunday, to be in the Orthodox riverbed, with you, in Fanari. It was indeed a special moment for me.

Patriarch Bartholomew: And for us great joy and honor Mr. Prime Minister.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Thank you for your kind words, for the words of unity and peace that Christianity stands for, so relevant in these extremely difficult times that we are going through. As you know, immediately afterwards I visited the Turkish President, who was kind enough to present me the meal with a magnificent view of the Bosphorus. It was a meeting that took place I must tell you in a good atmosphere. I hope we have agreed that we face so many challenges as humanity but also as two NATO allies at this time, which is more important to focus on what unites us and less on what divides us. We have obviously reiterated our firm national positions, but we have emphasized the need to build a positive agenda, especially in the field of economics, where I think we can make significant progress in the coming months. And if all goes well, I believe that we will be able to convene a Supreme Cooperation Council in Greece now, – it is our turn to organize it – in the good autumn. So I think it was an opportunity for a very open, very honest discussion and I think we laid the groundwork. I am careful in my formulations because as you understand we have big differences which are not bridged from one moment to the next. I believe that we have laid the foundations for the improvement of our relations and especially to work together on the major issues which we are currently facing enormous challenges. You saw again today tragic images from Ukraine with civilians losing their lives. These should concern us …

Patriarch Bartholomew: Temples and monasteries were also hit.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Unfortunately, nothing but the horror of war.

Patriarch Bartholomew: We, Your Excellency, as the Ecumenical Patriarchate, are very happy for your presence here for our morning prayer at the Patriarchal Church, on this great day of our Faith, but we are also happy for the communication you had with the President of the Turkish Republic. We always say that good relations between the two countries have an impact on the life and testimony of the Ecumenical Patriarchate here in the country where it is located. On the contrary, the bad relations – which sometimes happen to exist between the two neighboring and allied countries – also have a negative impact, which, as our people say, “we feel on our skin”. The building of mutual trust between the two governments and the two peoples, fills us with joy and satisfaction. There is a great deal of international mobility due to the war in Ukraine, of course, and we hope that all your efforts will be successful and that the contribution of Greece, as always, will be in the direction of peace and prosperity of the people and nations.

Read also:

– The Mitsotakis-Erdogan four-hour meeting in Istanbul lasted two hours – The dialogue

-Turkish presidency: Erdogan, Mitsotakis agree to improve relations despite disagreements