Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Maximos Mansion in Athens on Thursday after the latter met Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
It is the third meeting between the two men since the summer, indicating their willingness to turn a new leaf in the bilateral relations of Greece and Turkey.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the Turkish president on the steps of Maximos Mansion, engaging in a brief dialogue before reaching the entrance of the building for the formal photographs.
The two leaders are expected to make statements to the press corps after the end of their meeting.
The Turkish delegation is also holding a series of meetings with Greek Ministers and officials in the framework of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the two countries to find common ground and try to solve long-standing disputes, focusing mainly on low-intensity matters, as expectations are not high for the more serious differences.
Despite the amiable climate, Greece has made it clear that it will not budge on its”red lines” which entail the sovereignty of Greek islets in the Aegean Sea and the continental shelf.
Meanwhile, ministerial meetings between the two countries are ongoing, apart from Foreign Minister Giorgios Gerapetritis’s meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias is speaking for the first time on Greek soil with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler. Also, Deputy Foreign Ministers Kostas Fragogiannis and Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou are currently meeting with Burak Akcapar.
Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis, Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou, and Minister of Maritime Affairs Christos Stylianides with Turkish Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya.
Minister of State Kyriakos Pierrakakis is holding talks with Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, while the Greek Minister of Finance Kostis Hatzidakis with his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Simsek, as well as Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni and Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, are jointly meeting with Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
Enhancing trade cooperation between Greece and Turkey is one of the key topics being discussed by the top officials of the two countries on Athenian soil within the framework of the Supreme Cooperation Council.
