Time is counting down for Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Athens and the meeting with Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Turkish president is expected in the Greek capital on Thursday morning.

First, he will have a meeting with the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou and then with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with whom he will discuss the upcoming agreements and the next day in Greek-Turkish relations.

The departure of the Turkish president is expected in the early afternoon.

As long as he remains in Athens, the security measures will be draconian.

What matters, however, is what exactly the two sides expect from the summit on December 7.

Athens’ expectations range realistically, as history has taught us that everything can be overturned by one move or one statement or one event. It is characteristic that in the past, Greece and Turkey had signed 48 agreements, which, however, did not prevent us from coming very close to a – at least – hot episode in the past.

Athens aims at the basis of its pursuits from Thursday’s meeting the following:

  1. Consolidation of calm, which can form the basis for good neighborly relations between the two countries.
  2. Improving bilateral relations, which is the way to normalize relations, so that, if possible, at some point difficult issues can be discussed.
  3. To focus the discussions on the positive agenda, many are a series of agreements that can create a good climate between the two countries. According to information, these agreements are expected to be “locked” in the next 48 hours.

Constant meetings are held at the Maximos Palace, in order to decide which of these agreements Greece will proceed with.

Regarding immigration, there is on the table the cooperation of the port authorities of Greece and Turkey to deal with flows and traffickers, and in tourism the discussion on three-day visas for Turkish citizens to visit the Greek islands is on the table.

The agenda of Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The good result in the December 7 meeting, however, does not depend only on the Greek side. It also depends on the intentions of the Turkish president and of course the agenda of issues he will put to the Greek prime minister.

According to Turkish media, Erdogan will raise the following topics:

  1. Aims at immigration deals
  2. Pirods on a road map for the delimitation of the EEZ-Hifalokripida
  3. Minority issues in Thrace, and
  4. Energy Issues

According to the correspondent of SKAI in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis, the Turkish president will send positive messages regarding the cooperation with Greece and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, however, it is expected with interest how he will react to the questions that will be asked by the journalists.

State Department: Welcome USA

The US welcomes the upcoming meeting of the Greece-Turkey High Cooperation Council to be held this week in Athens, the State Department said.

Responding to a question from the Hellas Journal website, a representative of the US Department of State noted that the US supports the discussions between Athens and Ankara at all levels with the aim of ensuring calm in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

As the spokesman noted, “the United States welcomes the constructive contacts between NATO allies Turkey and Greece. We are encouraged by the upcoming meeting of the Greece-Turkey Supreme Cooperation Council that will take place this week in Athens. The United States supports bilateral discussions at all levels so that Greece and Turkey can work together to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the region. The United States continues to encourage calm in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean among our NATO Allies.”

On the issue of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, the spokesman limited himself to stating the State Department’s standing policy not to confirm or comment on proposed sales or transfers of defense equipment until they have been formally notified to Congress. Finally, he reiterated that the US looks forward to welcoming Sweden to NATO as soon as possible.