Mitsotakis’ meeting with Erdogan was a must. The previous summit in New York had been postponed in complex circumstances and their relationship had essentially remained on ice for the past year. It was right to pick up the thread again from somewhere. 

In the end, the meeting proved useful.  

Nothing was settled and no breakthroughs were achieved, but that was never on the agenda.  

But from their statements, it would seem that the two leaders had an honest exchange in which they laid out their respective positions. Without concessions, without fanfare, but also without acrimony.     

In fact, in a courteous atmosphere punctuated with mutual compliments of a sort we are not accustomed to hearing at this level  

Both the Greek Prime Minister and the Turkish President seem to have grasped the uncertainty and volatility of the international landscape and done their utmost to avoid exacerbating it still further. 

The “Trump factor” is a deterrent in itself. This is no time for messy entanglements. 

But even the “thorny issues” (to borrow Erdogan’s expression…) like the nations’ differences in the Aegean or over Palestine were handled with kid gloves. 

The Turks will draw their own conclusions. As far as the Greek side is concerned, we can make two observations. 

First, that in terms of the general climate, it is better to talk to them than to not talk to them. Dialogue has never hurt anyone, and the lines of communication must be kept open always.      

Second, that while we are not friends with Turkey and may never be friends with Turkey, we don’t have to behave like implacable enemies.  

Meetings like this are the best response to the doom merchants and armchair patriots.  

Because—surprise surprise!—the Aegean wasn’t partitioned, co-sovereignty wasn’t imposed, and none of the other alarmist predictions made by pundits full of hollow bluster came true. Let’s see what they find to worry over next.  

Of course, we have to take the context into account.  

Turkey has its hands full in the Middle East, its effective exclusion from Europe’s defense partnership is an ongoing blow, and Ankara doesn’t seem overly keen on Greece’s re-armament.   

All of which is entirely reasonable. But since the two countries cannot resolve their more substantial differences (for now, at least…), they will have to live with them.  

And since the tide of events is sweeping them in that direction anyway, it is far better to proactively shape those developments than to be forced to endure them at some point later on.