By Penelope Galliou

Greece’s important problems with Turkey may not have been solved “by magic”, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had found after his meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Vilnius, Lithuania, but the mood is clearly visible from the two sides of a re-approach from a more positive point of view.

This climate is reflected by the ongoing processes between Athens and Ankara and the two Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, who officially marked September 5 in their calendars. When the meeting of the two counterparts was set in Ankara and according to the official announcement of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the two Ministers will discuss issues related to bilateral relations, as well as regional developments.

However, the information indicates that high on the agenda of the two heads of diplomacy of Greece and Turkey is the preparation of pregnant meeting of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 18-20.

In the positive climate recorded recently, the two ministers will try to identify sectors between Athens and Ankara, which can be steps towards rapprochement. Athens considers that with the meeting – in principle of the two foreign ministers – “a new era in Greek-Turkish relations is inaugurated”, commented the international expert and ND MP Tasos Hatzivasileiou. At the same time, however, the good climate that is cultivated, the Greek side expects to be reflected on a wider level, expecting Turkey to confirm its commitment, not only to good neighborliness but also to the principles of International Law.

After all, the position of Athens is clear and unambiguous at this level, proclaiming at every opportunity its adherence to International Law, declaring that Greece is firmly in favor of dialogue with Ankara with the aim of settling the unique Greek-Turkish dispute in accordance with international law, that of the delimitation of the continental shelf/EEZ in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. In any case, it is emphasized that a necessary condition for conducting a dialogue is to refrain from provocative actions with duration and consistency, as well as a commitment to full respect of international law and the principles of good neighborliness.

According to information, the agenda of the meeting between Mr. Gerapetritis and Mr. Fidan also includes the preparation of the Supreme Cooperation Council that will be scheduled for the fall in Thessaloniki.

The holding of the Council was announced after the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, during which they attempted to open a new chapter in Greek-Turkish relations. In fact, the two leaders had entrusted the two foreign ministers with the supervision of the Greek-Turkish dialogue, which at the center concerns the main bilateral difference, which is the continental shelf and the EEZ.

It is noted that a Supreme Cooperation Council between the two countries has been held since March 2016, during which the refugee and bilateral relations were discussed, there were bilateral meetings of the participating Ministers per portfolio, while a total of six texts were signed (Joint Declaration of the two Prime Ministers) , Cooperation Agreement between APE/MPE-Anadolu Agencies, ERT-TRT Cooperation Protocol, Memorandum of Understanding between Thessaloniki-Izmir Port Organizations, Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Tourism Sector, Memorandum of Intent on Illegal Immigration).

In addition to the prospect of connecting Thessaloniki with Smyrna by ferry, the construction of a high-speed rail line that will connect Istanbul with Thessaloniki and end in Igoumenitsa was also examined.

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