On December 7, Athens held the fifth High-Level Cooperation Council (5th HLCC) between Greece and Türkiye. Six years have passed since the last visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Athens. But this time both sides have worked intensively to facilitate a framework for strengthening the cooperation between the two countries and to encourage open communication channels so that in times of crisis a possible escalation will be avoided.
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The agenda was set on issues such as tourism, education, and trade but also on critical ones for both sides as migration and visa liberalization from Türkiye to Greece, a gateway to Europe. For Türkiye, the agreement on increasing trade from $5 billion to $10 billion is beneficial for its deteriorating economy. The visa liberalization to visit ten Greek islands for seven days is also a good start for Türkiye's Visa Liberalization Dialogue with the EU. Furthermore, in these turbulent times where the flames of war ignite threats to international peace and stability, Türkiye's goodwill to sit at the table with its archenemy is a matter of prestige for its heavily damaged relations with the USA and the EU. Türkiye's military interference in Libya, and Syria, its posture on the war in Ukraine, on Gaza, all come in sharp contrast with the West's despite being a NATO ally. Thus, this good neighborhood policy for Erdoğan is a chance to save face from his fierce rhetoric against his Western allies and Israel.
Türkiye for the last 10 months abstains from engaging in dogfights with Greek jets as well as from any violations of Athens' FIR. This resulted in huge savings for Greece due to the high cost of hostile aircraft interceptions. Approximately 8 million euros will be allocated for education, the national health system, etc. Also, a 60% decrease in migration flows from Türkiye has a positive impact on Greece and Europe's security and economy. Moreover, Greece is expecting further increases in its revenues from visa liberalization and tourism from Türkiye to certain islands as has been agreed.
In that frame, the fifteen signed agreements have a positive impact on both sides. It was indeed a common goal to ameliorate the bilateral relations. On the one hand, Mitsotakis showed his eagerness to undertake personally the rapprochement with Türkiye immediately after his second reelection. Resolving the delimitation of the continental shelf in the International Court of Justice in Hague was highlighted as a top foreign policy priority. On the other hand, Erdoğan stated his eagerness to achieve a win-win, "kazan-kazan", as he put it in Turkish, agreement from this HLCC. His usual inflammatory rhetoric on contesting Greece's sovereignty on Greek islands, territorial waters, and air space was absent during this visit.
The 5th HLCC was marked by the signing of the "Declaration on Friendship and Good Neighborhood" a hundred years after the Treaty of Lausanne that defined the borders between the modern states of Türkiye and Greece. For the Greek PM, the signing of the declaration seems as his personal contribution to the betterment of the Greco-Turkish relationship as his reference to the historic debt that he feels to bring the two states side by side shows. For Erdoğan, the amelioration of Türkiye's relations in this regional subsystem is his legacy as Türkiye marks its centennial and also part of his broader vision for a strong Turkish presence in the Mediterranean while having a leading role in the Muslim World.
Despite the good spirit and the friendly handshakes, profound divergence on sovereignty, terrorism and International Law (IL) was evident at the joint press conference of the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president. Greece is a fervent advocate of International Organizations (IOs) and International Law, especially the Law of the Seas.
Erdoğan insists on ignoring the IL as the case of Türkiye's invasion in Syria and the illegal incursions of the latter's sovereign territory show. He insists on calling the Muslim minority in Greece as Turkish minority, disdaining that way the Treaty of Lausanne. He also made clear at the HLCC that he wishes to resolve the Cyprus issue not according to the United Nations Security Council's resolutions but "on realities on the ground", which is translated into a division of the island.
Greece and Türkiye have also different views on terrorism. Greece strongly condemns the Hamas massacre and stands with Israel in its right to defend itself against Hamas and other terrorist groups that operate in Gaza. Meanwhile, Türkiye supports the terrorist group Hamas against Israel, but also hosts on its soil Hamas' office and provides them with passports thus fostering international terrorism.
Finally, Turkey's anti-Western words and deeds, its partnership with Iran and Russia, and the leading role that aspires to undertake in the Muslim world especially the day after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza indicate that there is little room for hope to achieve a long-lasting peace between the two littoral states of the Aegean Sea.
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