Erdogan in Athens: The first step towards reconciliation

2023-12-08 14:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Positive surprises are currently rare in international politics. Even more so when they come from someone like Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Almost a year and a half ago, he threatened Greece with an invasion - "we will come suddenly one evening", he said. While on Thursday (07.12.2023) he appeared in Greece not as an aggressor, but as a peaceful neighbor, who will start a "new era" in Turkish-Greek relations.

It was Erdogan's first visit to Athens in six years - although the past three years have seen dangerous tensions between them. But this time, Turkish President Erdogan apparently came to Athens determined to show his friendly face to both Greek and international audiences.

When he returns to Ankara he will have with him a signed joint declaration of friendship and cooperation. The statement includes a commitment by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to grant annual visas to Turkish citizens wishing to visit the eastern Aegean islands. It also contains two promises: The Greek government wants to work in the European Union to ensure that Turkish businessmen and scientists get visas more easily when they travel and that the volume of Greek-Turkish bilateral trade doubles.

Problems "between brothers"

The Turkish president met with half of his cabinet at the 5th High Cooperation Council, a bilateral forum for Greek-Turkish cooperation established in 2010 but which had not convened for years. Erdogan smiled at all his interlocutors - which is unusual for him - and spoke alongside Kyriakos Mitsotakis about "problems that brothers may have between them", which could be solved with a little goodwill on both sides. Erdogan tried hard not to say anything that might upset his host.

The leitmotif of the meeting - disagreements between Ankara and Athens on sovereign rights and economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean are big, but they want to talk about it in the future. At the moment, it is important that both countries maintain a calm climate in bilateral relations. For Erdogan, it is about showing that he is capable of maintaining good relations with at least one neighbor. For his part, Mitsotakis wants to ease tensions in the Aegean to such an extent that the Greek public no longer fears its difficult neighbor.

Calm waters

The desire to avoid any possibility of scandal was so great that Erdogan and Mitsotakis only made press statements. After all, the views of the two heads of state and government on the Cyprus issue, but also on the wars in Ukraine and especially in Gaza, are very different. So the journalists stayed in Megaro Maximou, the seat of the Greek Prime Minister, as a living decoration and just listened. Questions were not allowed.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the day as "special". He said it was his "historical obligation" to unite the two countries. He had agreed with the Turkish president to lead both countries on a "peaceful path". "If we cannot overcome our differences, at least the differences should not cause crises," he said. Erdogan spoke, somewhat lyrically, about "calm waters" and about the Aegean, which "we want to turn into a sea of ??peace and cooperation."

The long-awaited declaration of friendship

The main point of the visit was the signing of the Declaration of Friendship between the two countries, which until recently could not even be dreamed of. The father of the current prime minister, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, tried in January 1992 to convince the then Turkish president Suleyman Demirel for a friendship pact. Without success.

More than three decades later and after many tensions, it became possible on December 7, 2023. With this Declaration of Friendship, Greece and Turkey undertake to engage in continuous constructive consultations and refrain from any declaration or action which may jeopardize the maintenance of peace and stability. This is only a declaration of goodwill and is not binding under international law. But this shows that the calm climate in bilateral relations will continue. Equally promising was Erdogan's invitation to Mitsotakis to visit Ankara next spring. Both sides are trying to build a relationship of trust – as long as the Turkish president, who initially wants to appear as a good neighbor, does not change his mind.

BUsINEss

Mitsotakis and Erdogan reiterated the goal of doubling the volume of bilateral trade from the current $5.5 billion to $10 billion in five years. Both countries want to cooperate more closely economically. A total of 15 agreements and joint declarations were signed under the High Cooperation Council in the fields of trade, investment, exports, culture, sports, tourism, science and customs.

Difficult issues of maritime boundaries were not discussed. "When the conditions are ripe, we can start to define the continental region and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)," said the Greek prime minister. At the moment, the conclusion is that the conditions are not ripe.

On the issue of refugees, the intention to cooperate was clearly visible on both sides. Athens and Ankara want to work closely together in the future to limit illegal immigration from Turkey to Greece. For this purpose, liaison officers from the coast guards of both countries will be sent to the Greek island of Lesvos and to Izmir in Turkey - they should coordinate measures against irregular migration. Until recently, the Greek prime minister spoke of "a hybrid war" on the part of Turkey - now he seems convinced of Erdogan's willingness to cooperate on the refugee issue. /DW