They discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine.. Erdogan meets the Prime Minister of Greece in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed rapprochement efforts between their two neighboring countries and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in light of the Russian war on Ukraine.

The Turkish presidency said that the meeting lasted two hours and focused on the benefits of strengthening cooperation between the two countries "in light of the development of the European security architecture."

Mitsotakis had visited Istanbul to meet the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the Orthodox world.

But Erdogan hosted him for lunch at the presidential residence on the bank of the Bosphorus.

"Despite the differences between Turkey and Greece, it was agreed ... to keep the channels of communication open and to improve bilateral relations," the statement added. The two leaders also discussed the conflict in Ukraine and their differences in the eastern Mediterranean at the meeting.

In the past years, the contentious relationship between Athens and Ankara witnessed a new crisis linked to the demarcation of the maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean.

relative breakthrough

Tensions escalated in the summer of 2020 when Turkey attempted to conduct oil and gas exploration in the disputed waters, but the resumption of bilateral negotiations in 2021 allowed a relative thaw in relations.

Antonia Zerfaki, professor of international relations at the University of Athens, said that the Greek-Turkish summit was held against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, "but its evaluation will be in the context of the Greek-Turkish dialogue that began after de-escalation of the crisis" in the summer of 2020.

Last Wednesday, Mitsotakis expressed his "willingness" to contribute to the dialogue "in a constructive manner, especially as the two countries express their concerns about regional affairs."

"As partners in NATO, we are required to act under the current circumstances" in order to "try to keep our region away from any further geopolitical crisis and denounce (Russia's) violation of international law," he told a cabinet session.