The Turkish president reaffirmed his support for the process of normalizing relations with Greece on Tuesday evening during an iftar dinner he hosted for foreign ambassadors in Ankara. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Hurriyet, Mr. Erdogan expressed hope that “the newly created atmosphere with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean will be used as an opportunity to solve problems.” And he added that “as always, we support steps that contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans.” Mr. Erdogan’s statements were made hours after the meeting of the six ministers (N. Dendia and M. Tsavousoglu, N. Panayotopoulou and H. Akara, and N. Mitarakis and S. Soylu), reflecting the spectacular climate change. in Greek-Turkish relations, at least at the level of impressions. Meanwhile, Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said yesterday that after the elections, negotiations between Athens and Ankara should begin “directly”, without the mediation of third parties. At the same time, he noted that “we never had the intention to start a conflict, tension or dispute with Greece.”

In previous contacts between the foreign and national defense ministers on both sides, it has become clear that the main goal is to maintain an atmosphere of calm in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean for the coming months until the election period in both countries ends. but the summer season is over. Although Mr. Panagiotopoulos and Mr. Acar have discussed the possibility of extending the informal moratorium, at this stage neither side can commit to it, as the details will be determined by their successors. Yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias received in his office the new Turkish Ambassador to Athens, Tsagatai Ercigesh, one of the experienced Turkish diplomats in Greek-Turkish disputes, to congratulate him on his assumption of office. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was of a formal nature, and Mr. Dendias stressed the will in Athens to maintain a positive climate in Greek-Turkish relations and to further promote them in accordance with international law.

Erdogan’s report on improving relations between Athens and Ankara. The first goal, the resumption of discussions of memorandums of understanding.

In any case, it seems preferable as an initial step to initiate the process of returning to dialogue through confidence-building measures (CBMs), that is, at the level of military delegations of the two sides. The aim, before discussions move to a second, more substantive level, is for the so-called moratorium to become institutionalized. At the moment, no one can guarantee that a pact like the Papoulias-Yılmaz pact can emerge, but that is the will. It should of course be noted that everyone in Athens also has some reservations, as it is unknown what will come out of the ballot box in Turkey during a period of significant introversion in the neighboring country.