Turkish, Greek delegations hold defense talks in Athens

ATHENS

Delegations from Türkiye and Greece were meeting in Athens yesterday as part of long-standing efforts to improve often tense relations between the two neighbors.

The neighbors have been at odds for decades over a series of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean and drilling rights in the Mediterranean. A dispute over energy exploration rights in 2020 led to the two countries’ warships facing off in the Mediterranean.

The meeting in the Defense Ministry in Athens was to discuss confidence-building measures, following a similar meeting in Ankara last November. The two countries have engaged in the confidence-building process on and off for years, trying to seek common ground on a series of lower-key issues as a means of improving ties.

The meeting comes ahead of planned talks in Ankara on May 13 between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Tense ties have improved significantly over the past year, with Erdoğan visiting Athens in last December and signing a raft of trade, energy and education deals.

Türkiye’s delegation at yesterday’s talks was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar, while the Greek one was headed by Ambassador Theocharis Lalakos.