Since the announcement of President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s local election losses on Sunday, political analysts in Greece have been speculating on if and to what extent the defeat will impact Greek-Turkish relations.
And the answer, according to a report by Ta Nea newspaper, is: probably not.
Ta Nea notes that the Greek government’s official response when questioned about President Erdogan’s defeat is that it does not comment on the municipal elections of other countries.
And the Government Spokesperson of Greece Pavlos Marinakis reaffirmed “We continue with the exact same logic as before- to pursue dialogue, firm in our positions, without any inclination to retreat from our sovereign rights.”
The Greek government will continue its consultations between the two countries, including the anticipated meeting between Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan today and tomorrow in Brussels at the NATO meeting.
Additionally, the planned meeting between the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Erdogan in Ankara in May still stands as originally scheduled.
Behind closed doors, diplomatic sources also appeased concerns that President Erdogan may take a harder stance against Greece to regain some lost ground.
The source explained to Ta Nea that “it is not the first time that Erdogan loses in big cities…President Erdogan did not have Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara and Izmir before.”
Meanwhile, Greek Professor of Strategic Studies Thanasis Platias also expressed that he does not believe that President Erdogan will change course. “The Turkish government is the same and has its line. President Erdogan will not change his strategy on foreign affairs.”
