By Antonis Anzoletou

No one expected that an occasion would not be found to disturb the “calm waters” of Greek-Turkish relations. The anniversary of Attila’s invasion and his simultaneous presence Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Tayyip Erdogan on the island on Saturday has put the two countries on mini “alert”. Already yesterday the defense ministries of Greece and Turkey indulged in a “debate” on the occasion of his presence Nikos Dendias in Megalonissos on Monday and the statements he made. He had condemned the Turkish Cypriot fiestas and the profane illegal presence for half a century of the Turkish occupation army in Cyprus with the Turkish Pentagon launching a personal attack on the Greek defense minister.

Are the latest events the beginning of a new crisis? Everything will depend on what happens in two days and if Tayyip Erdoğan chooses to proceed from the occupied to incendiary statements. It is the most likely scenario, but no one can be sure how much it will escalate knowing that Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be a few kilometers away. Greek diplomatic sources estimate that a window of historical opportunity has been opened in order to lay good foundations to start the dialogue given the calmness recorded during this period. In this context is placed the fact that the exile of G.G. of the UN, Holguin Cuellar, seems to be investing in the “calm waters” between Greece and Turkey by starting a difficult process from the guarantor powers. There are non-positive samples from Ankara. Apart from the provocative rhetoric, it is no coincidence that recently Tayyip Erdogan did not hide the efforts that the pseudo-state is making to fully join the Organization of Turkic States.

For the Greek side, the Cyprus issue is still a “highest priority” as the same sources note. Nikos Christodoulidis, in an interview he gave to “Kathimerini tis Kyriaki”, said: “Ankara refuses to talk directly with us, but the existence of dialogue and progress in the discussions between Greece and Turkey inevitably helps Cypriot». Bi-zonal, bi-communal federation versus definitive partition is “light years” away. It is considered very likely that the Greek prime minister will have to respond from Cyprus to the “fires” of the Turkish president. The next few days are considered crucial for whether the good climate will remain and the meeting of the two leaders in September in New York will be a “stepping stone” in order to put the difficult issues on the agenda. There is a danger. If the mediation effort promoted by the UN collapses – and relatively soon – then Ankara will have a very good excuse to re-energize the climate. In the event that a conference on the Cyprus issue is finally promoted at the UN level, an important step will have been taken. Possibly it will be the push for the next objective which is to hold an informal five-party meeting.