Details of the upcoming Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council in Ankara are being finalized, with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to meet by mid-February, according to a senior diplomatic source.
The session is expected to be held by Feb. 16 and will mark the first meeting of the council since the two leaders met in Ankara in May 2024. The timing is also tied to the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, making a meeting before mid-February more likely.
Athens has attached particular importance to the talks, describing continued communication with Ankara as essential at a time of heightened international uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.
Greek diplomatic sources say that although there has been no convergence on major disputes, the existing framework for dialogue has helped prevent serious flare-ups and kept tensions lower than in previous periods of strain in Greek-Turkish relations. They also stressed that both countries believe issues concerning their bilateral relationship should be addressed directly between Athens and Ankara.
Core Issues Off the Agenda
Despite the meeting’s significance, expectations remain measured.
Athens is approaching the talks with the goal of a constructive exchange of views but does not believe conditions are mature for substantive negotiations on fundamental disputes.
In particular, issues such as the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ are not expected to be discussed. The two countries remain in complete disagreement over the scope of these zones, a matter Greece considers non-negotiable.
Focus on a “Positive Agenda”
Instead, the agenda of the High-Level Cooperation Council is expected to be shaped around the so-called “positive agenda” and the ongoing political dialogue between the two countries.
This approach focuses on areas that are less politically sensitive and on practical forms of cooperation, with the aim of building trust and promoting stability even as longstanding disputes remain unresolved.
