According to diplomatic sources, the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Ankara and his meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan will take place in mid-May without the exact date being finalized yet. Within the framework of the visit’s preparations, a new meeting between the Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan is not ruled out.
The two Foreign Ministers will handle the agenda of the leaders’ talks and will review the progress on what was agreed last December in Athens, as well as explore new areas of cooperation.
Regarding the major issue, namely the search for a solution to the delimitation of the continental shelf, it is clear that the two sides are far from reaching convergences, as this discussion has not yet begun.
Diplomatic sources emphasized that for such a dialogue to begin, a climate of mutual trust must be established, good faith in implementing what was agreed upon in the positive agenda, such as migration, must be verified, and there must be mutual understanding of the principles governing such a dialogue.
The two Foreign Ministers will assess the data, and if conditions are mature, they will start the process that will examine the framework, assumptions, principles, and of course, the timelines of this dialogue, as diplomatic sources emphasized. Everyone agrees that this will be a lengthy process.
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According to the same sources, a priority for Athens is to maintain calm in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and any tensions that arise should not lead to crises.
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The Greek side is generally satisfied with the implementation of the Athens Declaration and reiterates that there will be setbacks and tensions, but they will not lead to crises. It is important that we have a mild climate both in the field and in rhetoric and that we proceed step by step in implementing the agreements.
Regarding the next steps before the summit in Ankara, on April 22, the Turkish delegation will arrive in Athens to discuss Confidence-Building Measures, while on April 26, the next round for the positive agenda will take place, this time in Istanbul.
Ahead of the proceedings for the EU Summit on April 17-18, diplomatic sources stressed that Cyprus remains a matter of national importance, and as for the references to Turkey and EU-Turkish relations, there should be a reference to the Cyprus issue as well.
