Today, the final lineup of ministers who will travel to Ankara on Wednesday with Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the High-Level Cooperation Council is expected to be “locked in,” along with the issues the two leaders will be called upon to discuss—both in their one-on-one meeting and in the expanded meeting with ministers. The foreign ministries of Greece and Turkey are in constant contact, although government sources note that, on the one hand, there is no momentum for anything more advanced in bilateral relations and, on the other, that the key goal is to preserve the direct channel of communication at the leadership level, which had admittedly lost steam.

The “calm waters” of recent years, which had almost become a doctrine in Greek-Turkish relations, have seen some “ripples” in recent months, both bilaterally and regionally. In this context, the direct discussion between the two leaders at President Erdogan’s White Palace will be of particular interest, as it will be open-ended. According to information, both bilateral and regional developments will be discussed. Athens is expected to raise the issue of Turkish NAVTEX notices and to explain the Greek plan for maritime spatial planning and marine parks. It is noted that, according to information from protothema.gr, the aim is for the draft Presidential Decree on the marine park in the Aegean to be submitted to the Council of State before Easter (April 12), with the Ionian Sea plan to follow shortly thereafter.

Athens believes, according to protothema.gr, that the Turks will focus particularly on two issues. First, their exclusion from the SAFE program and, by extension, from the European defense architecture; and second, Greece’s relationship with Israel, at a time when Turkey’s own relationship with Jerusalem is at a low point. As for regional issues, developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, Iran, and Syria will certainly be discussed, while in their tête-à-tête Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Erdoğan will be accompanied by Foreign Ministers Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan, as well as their diplomatic advisers Milton Nikolaidis and Akif Çağatay Kılıç.

The Lineup of Ministers

Over the weekend, Athens and Ankara exchanged drafts regarding the program and the composition of the ministers who will attend Wednesday’s meeting. It is considered certain that the two defense ministers, Nikos Dendias and Yaşar Güler, will not participate in the expanded session. However, issues of migration, police cooperation, cooperation in civil protection, culture, the economy and trade, and transport will definitely be on the table.

The final list of ministers will be confirmed today. In addition to the foreign minister, the discussion is expected to include Deputy Foreign Ministers Alexandra Papadopoulou and Haris Theocharis, who handle the political dialogue and the positive agenda, respectively. From the Prime Minister’s Office (Maximos Mansion), the following will also travel to Ankara: Aristotelia Peloni, Director of the Office for International Strategic Planning and Communication; Giorgos Efthymiou, Director of the Prime Minister’s Press Office; and Kyra Kapi, Director of the Prime Minister’s Communications.