Yesterday’s meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which took place in a good atmosphere, was positively evaluated in Ankara.

The two leaders agreed that they disagree on many issues, the disagreements are established, as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also said. The Turkish president spoke for interrelated issues between the two countries, adding that they can be resolved through good neighborliness and on the basis of international law.

Despite what separates the two sides, the discussion gave special weight to the economic agreements, with the two leaders focusing on their further deepening, as reported by Manolis Kostidis from Ankara.

Besides, politically, the mandate is to continue the dialogue, cooperation and positive climate, as was also seen from the joint statements.

The positive atmosphere of the meeting is also reflected in the Turkish press with headlines such as “It was a very beautiful day for the Aegean” (Hurriyet) and “There is no problem we cannot solve” (Milliyet and Sabah).

One of the points of contention was the theme of minorities with Erdoğan bringing back the issue of the rights of the Turkish minority in Greece and Kyriakos Mitsotakis answering that the characterization of the religious minority is expressly provided for in the Treaty of Lausanne, he spoke of the practical interest of the Greek state for the Muslim minority in Thrace and made reference to the Greek minority of Istanbul to be supported.

For her Monastery of the Countryan issue the prime minister had announced he would raise with the Turkish president, Erdogan said it had been turned into a mosque but the site was open to everyone.

For his part, Mr. Mitsotakis expressed dissatisfaction with the conversion and emphasized that the special cultural value of the monument must be preserved.

Regarding the Hamas the prime minister described it as a terrorist organization, with Erdogan responding that it is a liberation movement. In fact, he said that 1,000 members of Hamas are being treated in Turkey, while later Turkish officials clarified that they are wounded from Gaza.

The menu and the orchestra

Immediately after the joint statements, Mitsotakis and Erdogan sat down at the dinner table hosted by the Turkish presidency.

As reported by Manolis Kostidis, the two leaders sat alone at a table, only together with their interpreters, while at an adjacent table sat the Ecumenical Patriarch, the two foreign ministers, Gerapetritis and Fidan, the commanders of the secret services of the two countries and the director of Religious Affairs of Turkey.

The menu included buttery artichokes, broad beans, kebabs, lamb chops, kazandip, baklava and halva.

The Turkish choir of classical Turkish music played Greek and Turkish songs, among which “Fragosyriani” and “Alli oi rebetes tou dunia” were heard, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis left Ankara at 8 pm, concluding a visit with a positive sign, which ended without any particular problems.