Towards the end of 2020, following successive visits to Ankara and Athens, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama had conveyed the proposal for a private meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, or alternatively between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Despite the resumption of exploratory contacts on January 25, 2021 (61st round of informal contacts), preparations for the Greek meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister did not proceed, due to the climate in the bilateral relations and the ongoing Turkish provocations in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, along with the aggressive rhetoric of Tayyip Erdogan and his close associates.

The day after the 62nd round of exploratory contacts in Athens, the acting Secretary General of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Themistoklis Demiris, met with the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Sendat Onal.

As part of the so-called “political consultations” following a previous meeting held in January 2020 in Ankara, Mr. Demiris and Mr. Onal discussed the possibility of a meeting of Nikos Dendias with Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Following a Turkish proposal made by Sedat Onal, the head of the Turkish team in the exploratory contacts, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Themistoklis Demiris, informed the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister that Foreign Minister Nikos Dendos accepted the invitation to go to Ankara on April 14th.

See Also:

Majalla Magazine: Ankara is stealing Syrian crops

A 300-year-old “sex manual” is up for auction & it contains some truly bizarre tips

According to Greek diplomatic sources, Nikos Dendias expressed his willingness to go to Ankara for a private meeting with Mevlut Cavusoglu “provided, however, that the appropriate conditions prevail”. In simple words, the Greek Foreign Minister responded positively to the proposal to meet with Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, as long as no events have occurred in the meantime that would render his talks with the Turkish Foreign Minister counterproductive and almost unnecessary.

The initial “yes” of Nikos Dendias for a meeting with Mevlut Cavusoglu is an indirect announcement for the continuation of the exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey and the realization of the next 63rd round of informal talks between Greek and Turkish diplomats.