The Mitsotakis Erdogan meeting in Istanbul focused on building a positive agenda, as the Greek Prime Minister stated in his statements.
Mr. Mitsotakis, during his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, stressed that the foundations were laid for the improvement of Athens-Ankara relations, while if all goes well, the Supreme Cooperation Council of Greece-Turkey will be convened in our country in the autumn.
In particular, the Prime Minister stated the following:
It was a meeting that took place I must tell you in a good atmosphere.
I think we have agreed that we face so many challenges as humanity, but also as two allied countries at this time within NATO, which is more important to focus on what unites us and less on what divides us.
Obviously we reiterated our firm national positions.
However, we emphasized the need to build a positive agenda, especially in the field of economics, where I think we can make significant progress in the coming months.
And if all goes well, I believe we will be able to convene a Supreme Cooperation Council in Greece now. It is our turn to organize it with the good. Good luck in the fall.
So I think it was an opportunity for a very open. Very honest discussion and I believe that we have laid the foundations, I am careful in my formulations because as you know we have big differences that are not bridged from one moment to the next.
We have laid the foundations for the improvement of our relations and especially to work together on the big issues, which we are currently facing huge problems.
You also saw today the tragic images from Ukraine with civilians losing their lives. These should concern us.
Patriarch Bartholomew: Greek-Turkish relations have an impact on the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Patriarch Bartholomew expressed joy and satisfaction for the building of mutual trust between Greece and Turkey, emphasizing that the relations between Greece and Turkey have an impact on the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well.
The Ecumenical Patriarch stated the following:
We are also happy to communicate with the President of the Turkish Republic. We always say that good relations between two countries have an impact on the life and testimony of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the contrary, the bad relations that sometimes happen to exist between two neighboring and allied countries and these have an impact that, as the people say, we feel in our skin.
That is why every step taken to build mutual trust between the two governments and the two peoples, fills us with joy and satisfaction.
With these feelings we came to you in this house of Greece. We wish you a good return to Greece and success in all your travels. There is a great deal of international mobility due to the war in Ukraine, of course. And we wish all your efforts to be successful and the contribution of Greece as always to be in the direction of peace and prosperity of the people and nations.
The relaxed dialogue with the Bosphorus in the background
Before the meal, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Tayyip Erdogan had a small dialogue, overlooking the Bosphorus.
The Turkish president asked the Greek prime minister if he had visited Istanbul again, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis answering that he had been there many times and liked the city. In fact, Erdogan showed him the Bosporus bridges and explained to him about the submarine tunnel he has built.
Shortly afterwards, Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked him for the rich menu provided for their lunch, while asking him about the Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Antalya.
The Turkish president noted that he is quite happy with the results, noting, however, that there are still pending issues.
At this point, the Prime Minister intervened, stressing that many critical events are taking place in our region. “We have a lot to discuss in this meeting,” he said characteristically and immediately after they went for lunch.
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