Bilateral meeting with the French president Emmanuel Macron has this time the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, in Vilnius.

Present at the meeting Mitsotakis-Macron from the Greek side are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Papadopoulou (Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs), Aristotelia Peloni, the diplomatic adviser to the Prime Minister Anna Maria Boura and the National Security Adviser, Thanos Dokos.

The Prime Minister’s meeting with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, follows in a few minutes.

At the meeting with the Turkish president together with the Greek prime minister will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Papadopoulou, as well as the diplomatic adviser of Mr. Mitsotakis, Anna Maria Boura.

On Turkey’s side, Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Press Secretary Chagatai Kilic, a close adviser to the Turkish president, and possibly the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister.

There will be parallel meetings of Giorgos Gerapetritis with Hakan Fidan and Nikos Dendias Yasar Guler. It will be of great interest if the prime minister somehow puts on the table the issue of the Turkish consulate’s intervention in the country’s political affairs in Thrace, which occupied a lot of the pre-election debate in Greece.

It has already been announced that there is an agreement to promote the dialogue at the level of confidence building measures (CBM). The US is urging a de-escalation of tensions with Erdogan, who has nevertheless launched a new “bargain” for the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. He wishes to rename them to “Turkish Straits” showing that the attempts to alter the international treaties (Montreux Convention) do not stop, as do the claims.

Tayyip Erdogan has shown that he wants to improve his relations with his neighbors. He has made rapprochement steps with Egypt and Israel. In any case, when the two leaders of Greece and Turkey meet, the development of a positive agenda is the main thing. Energy, transport on road and rail networks, trade, and tourism are common points of possible bilateral cooperation.

As well as exploratory contacts in order to maintain the dialogue. If things go well between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Tayyip Erdogan, the next possible meeting between the two men could be the annual UN meeting in New York at the end of September.