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Mitsotakis-Erdogan Meeting: Dialogue and Agreements Amidst Disagreements

Published February 11, 2026, 17:20
Mitsotakis-Erdogan Meeting: Dialogue and Agreements Amidst Disagreements

Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, agreeing to resolve differences through International Law. Mitsotakis emphasized the need to remove any threats to the relationship between the two countries, while Erdogan called him a "valuable friend." Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing dialogue and strengthening cooperation, focusing on three pillars: political dialogue, a positive agenda, and confidence-building measures. An agreement was reached on visa facilitation for Turkish citizens visiting Greek islands, and a 60% reduction in migration flows in the eastern Aegean Sea was reported. The goal is to increase bilateral trade to 10 billion euros. Existing disagreements, particularly regarding maritime zones and minorities, were also acknowledged. Mitsotakis proposed referring the delimitation of maritime zones to the Court of Justice, based on the Law of the Sea, and reiterated Greece's position on minorities, referring to the Treaty of Lausanne. He also invited Erdogan to visit Greece for the next Cooperation Council. Erdogan mentioned the rights of Muslims in Western Thrace and expressed a common view on rejecting Israel's decisions regarding the West Bank. The meeting marks an attempt to de-escalate Greek-Turkish relations, with an emphasis on dialogue and finding solutions based on International Law.