By Antonis Anzoletou

A red carpet has been laid for the future of the Greek-Turkish people on which they can step Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Tayyip Erdoğan and walk together, this time without unexpected unpleasant incidents. The pre-election “Mitsotakis yoke” is a thing of the past and the road map was set in New York at their sixth meeting in the last four years. Now everyone is waiting for the next steps of the Turkish president. That is, his real reaction until the start of the political dialogue on October 16 and until the Supreme Cooperation Council takes place on December 7 in Thessaloniki.

Is anyone talking in Turkey about being referred to Hague; Or is it just an empty promise? This will first be seen from the evolution of the Political Dialogue. Major issues will go in there. That is, the possibility of drawing up a pledge for the International Court of Justice. It is not possible for the Hague talks to proceed with the casus belli remaining in place. Simply put, progress in bilateral relations is defined differently by each side. Turkish pursuits that are not based on International Law essentially put a “brake” on any hopes for positive developments. However, the dialogue that is progressing, the good climate, the relationships that are developing, the end of violations ensure “calm waters”. And that’s the big win.

No one seems to be in a hurry anyway. Since 1975, the two countries have been fighting to sign an agreement, so time is not pressing. It will be surprising if there is any result relatively quickly, ie before the end of next year. Certainly the momentum should not be lost. Tayyip Erdoğan has many open issues with his economy, he is eager to get the F-16s from the US, and therefore the role of “good guy” suits him better at this time. It is not only the normalization of relations with Greece that is a good sign. His meetings with Netanyahu and Sisi indicate a change in strategy. In Ankara, they have realized that low tension with Greece is a condition for its relationship with Congress.

The Cypriot case is clear that for him Tayyip Erdogan it is outside the “good climate” agenda. The Annan plan, which was rejected by 76% of Greek Cypriots, can no longer be an excuse for the Turkish president’s insistence on an absurd position that favors the partition of the island. The aim is clear: he wishes to put the Cypriot issue on “ice” and pass his own fait accompli as the only solution, with the logic that the negotiation for the island of Aphrodite cannot bear fruit for the Greek side.