• Europe Tension in the Aegean Sea: A Political War Between Greece and Turkey

Turkey and Greece want to start a "new chapter" in their relations and put an end to years of disputes over trade, territory and migration, which led the two countries to an unprecedented escalation of tension. In the words of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, this "new chapter" in relations with Greece seeks to find common ground between the two countries and smooth out their differences so that "both sides win".

On his first visit in six years to the Greek capital, Erdogan met separately with his counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulo; and then with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with whom he signed a memorandum on "friendly and good-neighbourly relations". In both meetings, the two countries discussed issues of concern to both, such as the dispute over Cyprus, border security, the territorial dispute over the exploitation of waters or the rights of minorities.

They also addressed the situation of the war in Gaza. "Geography and history have dictated that we live in the same neighborhood... Occasionally confronted. But I feel a historic responsibility to seize this opportunity to bring the two states closer together, just as our borders are (closely)," Mitsotakis said during the meeting. For his part, Erdogan said before the meeting that, as neighboring countries, they must respect each other's "vital rights and interests." "Kyriakos, my friend, unless you threaten us, we do not threaten you. Let's strengthen trust between the two countries," the Turkish president said. In recent months, Turkey has tried to recalibrate its diplomatic relations with countries in the region after years of tensions and disputes that have affected not only its bilateral ties, but also its economy.

The tension with Athens reached the point that Erdogan hinted that Turkish-made missiles could reach Athens "if calm is not maintained." In the last decade, relations between Athens and Ankara deteriorated after the migration agreement between Turkey and the EU, in which the Eurasian country pledged to take in refugees from Syria and Brussels to relocate them.

Ankara has accused Greece on multiple occasions of carrying out pushbacks to Turkish territory and tension between the two countries worsened in early 2020, when Erdogan opened his border with Greece and invited migrants and refugees to cross into the neighboring country. The discovery of hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean added another dispute between neighbours over the boundaries of territorial waters. Ankara signed a maritime zone agreement with Libya, while Athens did the same with Italy and Egypt. Turkey accused Greece of "occupying" and arming Aegean islands, while Athens announced an increase in the budget for military and air defense, with both countries regularly conducting military maneuvers in border waters.

Tensions began to ease earlier this year, when Greece reached out to Turkey following the horrific earthquakes that swept through the southeast of the country, killing more than 50,000 people. Following this diplomatic exchange, both leaders showed signs of improving relations, which followed their victories in their respective presidential elections.

The memorandum signed Thursday by the two leaders does not directly address any of the differences between the two countries, but it marks the rapprochement that will precede these discussions. The document "underlines", "recognizes" and "seeks to renew the will for cooperation between the governments of the two countries" and highlights the "potential and dynamism" that this path could bring at the regional level.

Despite the fact that on paper, Turkey and Greece have signed a mere declaration of intent, both leaders discussed the first steps to be taken. Mitsotakis signaled his intention to provide Turkish citizens with visas to visit the Greek islands, a "measure that brings the two peoples closer together," said Dimitris Kairidis, Greece's migration minister. Kairidis said this week that the coast guards of both countries have increased their cooperation on migration and do not rule out sending a Turkish officer to the Greek island of Lesbos and another Greek officer to the Turkish port of Izmir to reduce the flow of crossings.

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