A year after their last encounter in New York — and in a very different international environment following Donald Trump’s election — Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet today at the “House of Turkey,” with talks scheduled to last around 30 minutes. Whether the meeting extends further remains uncertain, as interpretation can lengthen discussions, but this marks the first high-level Greek–Turkish contact since September last year and represents a notable waypoint in regional geopolitics.

Joining the two leaders are Foreign Ministers Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, who already maintain regular dialogue, along with their diplomatic advisers Milton Nikolaidis and Akif Çağatay Kılıç. The atmosphere between Athens and Ankara has shifted: where expectations once ran higher, relations now rest on “controlled tension.” Turkey is repositioning itself across multiple fronts while seeking entry into European defense programs such as SAFE, an effort Greece is poised to block so long as Ankara maintains its threat of war — the enduring casus belli.

Mitsotakis, however, does not seek escalation. His aim is to keep channels open with Erdogan, even as Athens insists the Greek–Turkish core dispute over the continental shelf remains off the table. Still, Ankara views recent Greek moves — from marine spatial planning and marine parks to new energy agreements, including Chevron’s licenses and revived cooperation with Western Libya — as provocations.

Dialogue, not pseudo-patriotism
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis emphasized ahead of the summit that Athens pursues dialogue, not confrontation. “This government has chosen to grow Greece with policies that deliver results. It has chosen dialogue with Turkey, not the pseudo-patriotism that weakens Greece. Sovereignty issues remain non-negotiable,” he said. The government also seeks to project confidence despite the forthcoming Erdogan–Trump meeting on the 25th, pointing to how Greece’s international standing has shifted dramatically since 2019.

Cyprus first
Before Erdogan, Mitsotakis will meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. At the top of their agenda is the GSI cable project, the planned Greece–Cyprus–Israel electricity interconnection. Confusion in Nicosia’s messaging has unsettled Athens, and Mitsotakis wants clarity from a counterpart with whom he maintains close ties.

Full schedule in New York
The prime minister’s calendar also includes meetings with Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev, Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio, Yemen’s President Rashad Al-Alimi, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Later tonight (early morning Athens time), Mitsotakis will attend the reception hosted by President Trump for world leaders at the UN General Assembly.