The relationship between the rivals in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and Greece, seems to be slowly but steadily improving. During the recent visit of Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, there was a surprising gesture from the host, Erdogan, after the press conference, where at least politely, differences were acknowledged. “My dear friend,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Prime Minister from Athens, he had to disagree on one “important point”: “Hamas is not a terrorist organization,” he stated, but rather “people trying to protect their people.” More than 1,000 of their members, according to the Turkish head of state, are currently receiving medical treatment in Turkey. A Turkish official later clarified that Erdogan had misspoken and meant civilians from Gaza, not fighters.
It is well-known that Erdogan can surprise during encounters with Western politicians when it comes to the war in Gaza – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also experienced this when Erdogan visited Berlin last year. At that time, it was a question from a German journalist that provoked the Turkish president. During the Greek Prime Minister’s visit to Ankara, it was precautionarily decided that the press would not ask questions, which Mitsotakis likely agreed with. However, Erdogan apparently wanted to clarify his stance on Gaza once again.
The day before, he had compared the Israeli Prime Minister to Adolf Hitler in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Turkey recently halted its trade with the Jewish state. Standing next to the Greek head of government in the presidential palace, Erdogan, as usual, spoke of the “genocide” in Gaza, which he condemned “in the name of my Palestinian brothers.”
Mitsotakis’ trip to the neighboring country was originally intended to be a friendly visit. Just in December, Erdogan had traveled to Athens and stated his desire to “turn a new page” in relations with Greece. Previously, he had sounded different, not long ago declaring that Mitsotakis no longer existed for him and that he would “never” speak with him again. Mitsotakis also had strong words for Turkey, especially on the topic of migration, repeatedly stating that he would not let Erdogan “blackmail” him with refugees.
Both leaders have long played on the nationalist sentiments of their voters. Mitsotakis used the anti-Turkish sentiment in Greece to profile himself as a tough opponent of Erdogan. In Turkey, there is still the dream of the “blue homeland,” referring to the Aegean Sea. Many Turks feel deprived of access to the sea by the Greek islands along their coast. Erdogan once said that the islands, which formerly belonged to the Ottoman Empire, could be “taken overnight.” In the summer of 2020, many in Greece believed that war with Turkey was imminent when Erdogan sent a drilling ship near Rhodes, escorted by naval ships. The Greek navy also mobilized. The most recent conflict occurred just a few days ago: the Istanbul Chora Church celebrated its reopening, a Byzantine-era building turned into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire, then a museum, and recently renovated and reopened for Muslim prayers. The Greek press reacted indignantly, as Greeks closely monitor what happens to churches that symbolize their historical presence in Istanbul.
Mitsotakis criticized this move but flew to Ankara nonetheless. The goal was to ensure that the Greek-Turkish spring, declared in Athens in December, would endure. The Turkish president said they aimed to increase trade volume between the countries to ten billion dollars, almost doubling it. They would help each other in natural disasters, such as forest fires or earthquakes. Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked the “dear Tayyip” for the hospitality, mentioning that Turkish citizens can now travel to ten Greek islands without much difficulty, while they still need visas for the rest of the Schengen area, which is an emotional issue in Turkey. “Our peoples can meet each other this way,” Mitsotakis said, seeing “positive developments” everywhere.
He was only surprised when Erdogan began defending Hamas again. Mitsotakis could only respond that they would have to agree to disagree, and that a ceasefire was needed. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had no objection to that.
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