The meeting, expected to be brief, was not originally on the leaders’ agendas due to their busy schedules. The primary focus will be to review recent developments in Greek-Turkish relations.
Accompanying Mitsotakis will be Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and diplomat Maria Boura, while Erdogan will be joined by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Foreign Policy and Security Advisor Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç. The meeting is anticipated to take place in the evening local time.
Series of Meetings in Congress
Prime Minister Mitsotakis also has several important meetings scheduled in the House and Senate today. He will meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican), Senator Chris Coons (Democrat, Delaware), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat).
Tomorrow, he will participate in a discussion at the NATO Public Forum with former US Deputy National Security Advisor Nadia Schadlow.
Following the NATO Summit, Mitsotakis will travel to New York to meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday. The discussions will focus on Greece’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2025-26), the Cyprus issue, and the work of the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Olgin.
From Washington, DC, to New York
During his trip, Mitsotakis is expected to address the violation of the Prespes Agreement by North Macedonia’s new leadership. He will highlight statements from politicians in North Macedonia that contradict the Prespa Agreement and stress that the issue of the erga omnes compound name is not being respected. He will point out that while North Macedonia’s presence in NATO is a result of the Prespa Agreement, its leadership is not adhering to its terms.
On Wednesday evening, Mitsotakis will attend a dinner at the White House hosted by US President Joe Biden in honor of the leaders.
The NATO Summit agenda includes strengthening the Alliance’s defense capabilities, increasing contributions from European NATO members and Canada to defense investment commitments, reaffirming support for Ukraine, and enhancing NATO’s cooperation with partners (EU and Indo-Pacific 4: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea).
Regarding defense spending, Greece is among the countries exceeding the 2% GDP commitment. Mitsotakis has also proposed, along with his Polish counterpart, a European air defense shield financed by European funds to complement NATO.
