A new chapter for Greece and Europe, after the difficult years of the crisis. Undoubtedly, a new chapter for Greece and Germany. This is how one could describe the climate in which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Berlin is taking place. This is also the topic of the discussion on Monday afternoon at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of the Christian Democrats with the head of the Christian Democrats Friedrich Merz, after a private meeting.

The Christian Democrats have been watching the two major electoral victories of Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a long time with their eyes on the European elections and the goal of a strong European People’s Party (EPP). After all, in Germany too, the Christian Democrats are the first party in the opinion polls, with percentages around 30%, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany.

The specific event will be prefaced by Norbert Lambert, a Christian Democrat with a significant career and political influence, who was the president of the German parliament during the years of the Euro crisis, during the time of Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schäuble.

Charles Michel dinner with Spree in the background

On Monday night, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is also expected at a dinner at the chancellery. An invitation by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in the context of the promotion of the EU’s Strategic Agenda, which is organized cyclically in different formats and in different capitals. This time, Olaf Solz is giving the chancellery, with the heads of state and government of Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Belgium, Austria and Lithuania as guests.

It is, of course, a good opportunity to discuss current international issues such as the Middle East, with Olaf Solz and Foreign Secretary Analena Burbock openly advocating for “humanitarian pauses” on the Gaza Strip rather than a blanket freeze on fire. In this context, the contribution of Greece and Cyprus is considered important, due to their geographical proximity to the Middle East, but also to the traditionally good channels of communication with both Israel and the Arab world.

Rich agenda between friends and partners

The Mitsotakis-Soltz meeting for talks in a bilateral and expanded circle is expected at 11 am on Tuesday at the chancellery, while a joint press conference is expected around 12.30 pm. The topics that will be on the agenda, many: from immigration and climate change – with Greece claiming more resources from the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework -, the prospects for a Greece-Germany energy interconnection, the EU enlargement that is being intensively promoted here and years Germany and the wider developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Regarding migration, it is worth noting that Germany considers cooperation with Athens, but also Ankara, to be of key importance, seeking a re-warming of the 2016 EU-Turkey joint statement on migration. The German coalition government is also marking a historic shift in its immigration policy towards stricter, with more and faster deportations, a reduction in benefits and more broadly incentives to attract asylum seekers, but also permanent police controls at its borders.

From there on, it is of course also interesting what will be said about Greek-Turkish, against the background of the Athens-Ankara rapprochement which is in full development in a complex geopolitical situation. A year ago, the chancellor and the foreign ministry of Germany took a clear position on Greek-Turkish, declaring that any questioning of Greek sovereignty in the Aegean will not be tolerated.

It should be noted that, according to analysts, Germany has played a quiet, positive role in the Greek-Turkish rapprochement. All this is of course of particular interest in view of the long-awaited visit of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Berlin on Friday. A visit episodic and noisy before well-well done.