Diplomacy - Erdogan wants to visit Greece
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to usher in a "new era" in the tense bilateral relationship between the neighboring states with a visit to Greece.
He will visit Greece on Thursday, Erdogan said during his flight back from the World Climate Change Conference in Dubai. According to his office, the aim of the visit is to deepen cooperation between the two countries. Points of disagreement would also be discussed.
According to reports, the meeting on Thursday will take place in the port city of Thessaloniki. Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis initiated the rapprochement between the two NATO states during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
The signs of détente follow several years of political ice between the two countries. The background to this includes disputes over sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea and the exploitation of raw materials such as natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
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- Despite the ongoing conflicts in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his intention to attend an un climate conference in the future, signaling a potential thaw in relations with Greece.
- In contrast to the frosty past, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, welcomes the diplomatic overtures from Turkey and is prepared to discuss contentious issues during Erdogan's visit to Athens.
- Erdogan's planned trip to Greece is not his first diplomatic venture outside of Turkey; he previously visited Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, for a summit with fellow leaders in October.
- In an unexpected turn of events, Erdogan and Mitsotakis held their first official meeting in Athens, specifically in Athens' historic center, which brought renewed optimism for relations between the two nations.
- The un climate conference, despite its primary focus on climate change, may serve as an additional platform for discussing diplomatic matters, providing an opportunity for both leaders to further strengthen the newly formed rapprochement between Greece and Turkey.
Source: www.stern.de
