Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a telephone conversation this week to plan the next steps ahead of an upcoming Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara, according to reports.
This council represents a continuation of dialogue and cooperation by several ministries of both countries despite long-standing problems in Greek-Turkish relations, including the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s refusal to abide by UNCLOS in the eastern Aegean and a delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean. In a recent interview with Efimerida ton Syntakton, Gerapetritis highlighted the importance of these high-level discussions in advancing bilateral relations.
The news follows a controversial statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who claimed territorial links to Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, in a speech that has drawn sharp criticism.
Next Steps in the Dialogue
Gerapetritis has emphasized that dialogue between Greece and Turkey remains active and evolving, with “improved Greek-Turkish relations facilitating progress in restarting Cyprus negotiations.” These efforts align with the UN Secretary-General’s roadmap, which includes a five-party summit scheduled for March in Geneva. The summit will bring together Greece, Turkey, the UK, the internationally recognized government of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot leadership to discuss the Cyprus issue.
However, significant challenges remain, particularly regarding maritime delimitation. Greece insists that discussions focus solely on the delimitation of the Aegean’s continental shelf and the EEZ, all under international law (UNCLOS) and customary law. By contrast, the Erdogan government insists on a standing Turkish policy to table a broader agenda, thereby raising issues of sovereignty that Athens considers non-negotiable.
Efforts to sustain a “positive agenda” between the two nations are also often hindered by official Turkey’s irredentist foreign policy stance. Since 2018, Ankara has advanced territorial claims that challenge Greece’s sovereignty in the Aegean Sea, as well as its extended maritime rights. These actions, rooted in a strategic position that seeks to redefine territorial boundaries, have been a persistent obstacle to meaningful progress in bilateral relations.