The 2 leaders are anticipated to debate bilateral and worldwide relations in addition to the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine struggle.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has kicked off his go to to Turkey throughout which he’ll maintain talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, a uncommon assembly between neighbours who’ve been at odds over maritime and vitality points, the standing of Aegean islands and migration.
The Greek prime minister kicked off his go to to Istanbul on Sunday by attending an Orthodox Christian service on the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The 2 leaders are anticipated to debate bilateral and worldwide relations in addition to the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate mentioned on Sunday.
The Sunday assembly comes as Ankara seeks to shore up its credentials as a regional energy participant by mediating the battle.
On Thursday, the Turkish resort metropolis of Antalya hosted the primary talks between Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian International Minister Dmytro Kuleba for the reason that begin of Russia’s invasion.
They didn’t dealer a ceasefire.
Now Mitsotakis will meet Erdogan, conscious that the burgeoning battle in Ukraine looms bigger than the longstanding tensions between Athens and Ankara.
The Greek authorities’s spokesman this week mentioned Mitsotakis had already been planning to go to the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and had been invited to lunch by Erdogan on the presidential mansion on the banks of the Bosphorus.
Greek-Turkey ties
Greece and Turkey are nominal NATO allies however have strained relations over competing maritime boundary claims that have an effect on vitality exploration rights within the japanese Mediterranean.
Tensions flared in the summertime of 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas within the Mediterranean the place Greece and Cyprus declare their very own unique financial zone, resulting in a naval standoff.
Turkey additionally claims Greece is violating worldwide agreements by militarising Aegean islands.
Since then, Greece has launched into a significant navy modernisation programme.
Officers from each nations resumed exploratory talks in 2021 after a five-year pause to put the groundwork for formal negotiations to start however haven’t made a lot progress.
Greece has additionally accused Turkey of permitting refugees and asylum seekers to cross its land and sea borders regardless of a take care of the European Union to stop irregular crossings, whereas Turkey and rights teams have documented Greek authorities’ observe of refugee “pushbacks” to Turkey.
However the two nations additionally cooperate on vitality tasks, together with a newly constructed pipeline that spans their nations transporting pure fuel from Azerbaijan to western Europe – a mission that’s a part of Europe’s effort to cut back dependence on Russian vitality exports.