By Antonis Anzoletou

For some time now, analysts have been explaining that the elections in the triangle Greece, Turkey, Cyprus will determine developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. On the island of Aphrodite since February, Nikos Christodoulidis has assumed his duties. The new president is seeking to revive the deadlocked reunification talks on the island and is asking the EU to play a more active role.

Tayyip Erdogan will continue to hold the reins of the country for the next five years, and the question is what path he will take from here on out. Given that Mr. Erdogan himself has said that he intends to retire after this term, many are looking forward to a positive restart in relations with Greece. No one believes in miracles, but now they don’t have as many reasons to invest in awakening the nationalist feelings of their people. And Turkey’s European course will certainly concern him more than ever given the major economic problems facing the country.

It is his usual practice to try to establish the greatness of Turkey through his foreign policy and this is not expected to stop. The strategy will remain. The big issue is to change tactics. It is a positive fact that after the deadly earthquakes in Antioch breaches and outright threats have diminished significantly. And from the side of the West, there is expected to be an attempt at rapprochement. The Greek side will closely monitor the immigration developments in the next period. Just from the fact that all the formations in Turkey had adopted a very tough agenda before the elections. The neighboring country will not cease to be a “geopolitical pendulum” and instrumentalize on a case-by-case basis whatever issues it deems to be in its interest.

In Greece, a government has not yet been elected, but based on the data of May 21, New Democracy seems very unlikely to lose power after the security difference it secured from SYRIZA. The NATO Summit on July 11-12, in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a first-class opportunity for relations between the two countries to restart.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated in an interview he granted to MEGA that “as long as the Greek people trust me again and I am the Prime Minister who will represent the country at the Summit NATOwhich takes place July 11 and 12 in Lithuania, I will again seek a meeting with President Erdogan.

I always believe that we should discuss and when we disagree we should discuss and agree at least on what we disagree on, but even when we disagree it does not mean that we should be on the verge of a heated episode”. It is clear that from the Greek side there is no inclination to exclude Turkey from the sea without, of course, ceding any of its rights. The only difference remains the demarcation of the maritime zones and with this logic the next government, whoever it may be, will come to discussions.

It is recalled that the last meeting between the two leaders took place last year in March in Istanbul. According to information, the defense ministries of the two countries are eyeing possible dates so that after the June 25 elections, the possibility of resuming Confidence Building Measures can be considered.