The meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the Maximos Palace ended at 11:05′.
It is noted that the meeting lasted at least 11 minutes longer than scheduled and ended at 11:11′ instead of 11:00′.
Also, after the end of the talks, the Prime Minister accompanied the Turkish Foreign Minister to the exit. According to government sources, the two men had a good conversation.
In fact, the mutual will to promote a positive agenda in relations between the two countries was noted.
Next stop of the Turkish Foreign Minister was the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with Nikos Dendias they chose to walk from the Maximos Palace to the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where they entered at approximately 11:15′.
The next milestone in the Greek-Turkish relations is the forthcoming NATO Summit in Brussels on 14 June. Although the work of the meeting of the heads of state and government of the NATO members is expected to last only three hours, no one can rule out the possibility of a meeting of Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the Turkish president on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.
Athens attends the meetings with the hope of improving Greek-Turkish relations, under the necessary condition of respect for International Law and the Law of the Sea, as well as the end of the Turkish provocations.
“We must learn to live in disagreement”, a top government official said of Greek-Turkish relations, giving a touch of reality in just a few words. Far from embellishments for the Turkish aspirations, without taking into account the embrace of Nikos Dendias with Mevlut Cavusoglu outside the restaurant “Dionysos” on the Acropolis last night, the realistic depiction of the state of Greece’s relations with Turkey shows that there is not much optimism regarding a better understanding of how there could be a common ground between Athens and Ankara.
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Cavusoglu’s provocative positions
Since no one had the illusion that Turkey was willing to change its policy and change its rhetoric on the issue of Thrace, the analysis of the first day of Mevlut Cavusoglu’s moves on Greek soil is that there can be no easy predictions.
Two days ago, the Turks celebrated the fall of Constantinople in 1453 with events aimed at moving the most extreme elements in the neighboring country and focusing on the celebrations in Hagia Sophia.
Yesterday Sunday, the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) radars recorded 51 violations of Greek airspace, -which is unusual for Sundays- by four Turkish spy planes flying high inside the national airspace in the Northeast, the Central and South-Eastern Aegean sea, six helicopters, but no Turkish fighter jets.
Athens response to Cavusoglu’ s provocative statements
“Greece, being a state governed by the rule of law, remains firmly committed to International Law and the protection of human rights“, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou, adding: “Greece fully implements its obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne, which explicitly and clearly refers to a Muslim minority in Thrace. The Muslim Minority in Thrace numbers approximately 120,000 Greek citizens“.
The representative of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs also pointed out that “Turkey’s continuous efforts to distort reality, as well as its claims alleging lack of protection of these citizens’ rights or discrimination, are unfounded and are rejected in their entirety. Greece would welcome the improvement of its relations with Turkey. However, the respect for International Law is a prerequisite. We call on Turkey to respect these fundamental rules, including the Treaty of Lausanne, which it has also signed and is obliged to implement“.
