Wary of wars in Gaza and Ukraine, old foes Turkey and Greece test a friendship initiative
Associated PressMay 26
Mitsotakis, Erdoğan Meet for Talks
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The Facts
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis traveled to Ankara to meet with Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday. During a joint news conference, the two leaders expressed their desire to enhance bilateral communication.
Erdoğan suggested that there are no unsolvable problems between Athens and Ankara, and both leaders commended the current condition of ties between the two nations. "We will solve problems through dialogue," Erdoğan stated.
The Spin
Narrative A
Despite deep-seated tensions between Greece and Turkey, the leaders of the two countries have found a way to overcome divisive questions, either trying to solve them in good faith or just agreeing to disagree. This is an excellent development because things have not always been this civil between the two countries. The two nations set an example for the world to follow, showing that trade and cooperation are the way to go.
Narrative B
Maintaining a unified foreign policy is one of the EU's biggest concerns. While it may be relatively easy to get consensus on small policy matters, agreeing on events such as the war in Gaza is far more challenging. Ankara's failure to implement EU sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion, as well as its refusal to label Hamas as a terrorist organization, have positioned Turkey at the bottom of the candidate list despite this Ankara-Athens thaw.