The meeting of Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar in Brussels did not take place, as the Turkish Defense Minister was forced to stay in his country due to the devastating earthquake. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced a “new page” in relations between Athens and Ankara.

Mr. Akar, who remains in Hatay Province, observed the search and rescue and support operations for nine days with Chief of the General Ground Headquarters, General Moussa Avsever. It was announced that Mr. Akar would not be able to attend the meeting of NATO defense ministers due to his work in the earthquake zone, and that Turkey’s permanent representative to NATO, Levent Gyumrukcu, would represent Turkey at the meeting. However, it is considered certain that the Turkish Defense Minister and Mr. Panagiotopoulos will schedule a meeting in the near future when the opportunity arises.

In Alexandretta, we noticed that the Turkish army and navy are actively involved in the normalization of the situation, setting up camps and sites for sit-ins. In this environment, Mr. Mevlut Cavusoglu sent a message on the normalization of Turkey’s relations with the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece.

“I hope that solidarity during this earthquake will be crucial for bilateral relations,” said the Turkish Foreign Minister.

“We want stability and peace in our region. The steps we are taking to normalize our relations with the countries of the region, especially with Israel, are obvious. I hope that our solidarity during this earthquake will also be decisive in opening a new page with Greece. Therefore, like all countries in the region, we must continue to work for stability, economic development and peace in our region,” the Turkish Foreign Minister said at a press conference after meeting with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Ankara.

“Exaristo poly file”

Meanwhile, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, with a front-page headline “Efxaristo poli file” (ss “Thank you very much friend”) thanks Greece for supporting and helping the areas hit by the February 6 earthquake. The publication refers to the return of EMAK members to Greece after the completion of the mission.

Hurriyet columnist Hade Firat reports that “Turkey and Greece were on the brink of war before the earthquake. However, the disaster forced the leaders of the two countries to put aside any tension. Both the President of Greece and the Prime Minister called President Erdogan. “We’ve been through so much pain together, we’ll always be with you,” they both said over the phone. The pictures shocked the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. N. Dendias, who came to Turkey to see the earthquake zone and conduct an aerial inspection.