Athens
31
03
2023
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Greek defense minister to visit Turkish counterpart as tension wanes

Greece’s defense minister announced Thursday that he will travel to neighboring Turkey next week as part of an effort to ease tension between the two NATO members, which have long-standing and often volatile disputes.
Greece’s defense minister announced Thursday that he will travel to neighboring Turkey next week as part of an effort to ease tension between the two NATO members, which have long-standing and often volatile disputes.

Nikos Panagiotopoulos told reporters in Athens that he would visit areas devastated by earthquakes in early February with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

An outpouring of support from Greece to help its neighbor last month has led to a de-escalation in disputes centered around boundaries and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

“My counterpart suggested that I visit the earthquake-affected areas ... The aim is to send a symbolic message,” Panagiotopoulos said in an interview with Greek private television station Mega.

“A de-escalation of tension in the bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey is now evident. It is our country’s wish for this de-escalation to acquire permanent characteristics.”

In the wake of the earthquakes, Greece and Turkey have resumed high-level meetings, including talks attended by senior diplomats on the so-called positive agenda initiative, aimed at boosting trade and other cooperation in areas unrelated to the disputes. (AP)

More specifically,Hellenic Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos will travel to the earthquake-stricken areas in southeast Turkey next week to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar.

The meeting, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 4th, will continue the contacts between the two ministers who didn’t stop communicating, even when bilateral relations were at their most tense, before Greece’s response to February’s deadly earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 in Turkey and over 7,000 in Syria led to the present, more relaxed environment.

The agenda for the 2 ministers’ meeting is not known and it is unlikely they will reach specific agreements. Both countries are now in the midst of electoral campaigns, with Turkey holding presidential as well as parliamentary elections, and a revival of processes such as working groups of lower-ranking government officials is not expected while campaigns are under way.