Greek PM: No mediator needed as Athens prepares for high-stakes Ankara talks

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced plans to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara “before February 15,” emphasizing that the two countries do not require US or any third-party mediation.

In an interview with Greek SKAI television, Mitsotakis confirmed the upcoming visit, stating, “I will have the opportunity to be in Ankara in the coming weeks. The meeting will take place before February 15.”

Asked about concerns over frequent communications between US President Donald Trump and Erdogan or potential US mediation, Mitsotakis was unequivocal: “No, I do not share these concerns at all. Relations between Greece and Türkiye are autonomous. I don’t think we need an arbitrator or mediator to discuss issues that concern the two countries. I believe Türkiye shares this view.”

Mitsotakis delivered a clear warning to Ankara regarding its access to European defence funding: “We were absolutely clear: as long as the casus belli exists, Türkiye cannot take advantage of European funding,” he said. “Despite some questioning whether this stance had real value, it was proven by the results that we were able to achieve this goal.”

He added that Athens’ aim is not to permanently exclude Türkiye from stronger EU cooperation. “Our goal is to use this negotiating card to convince Türkiye that these claims are entirely misguided and unnecessary. More than 30 years after the 1995 National Assembly decision, when we talk about good relations between neighbors, what meaning can the casus belli have? We have enough problems in our region and in the world generally without adding more,” Mitsotakis said.

Mitsotakis identified the delimitation of maritime zones as the central issue in Greek-Turkish relations, noting recent diplomatic progress. “The major issue, the big difference with Türkiye, is one and only: the delimitation of maritime zones, EEZ and continental shelf in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean,” he said. He added, “As long as Türkiye adds other issues to this menu, moving further in this direction is something I consider difficult at this juncture.”

Commenting on pre-New Year statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding Türkiye’s readiness to address Aegean issues, Mitsotakis described them as “a positive acknowledgment that Türkiye may be able to examine some of its standing issues, not highlighting them with the same intensity as in the past.”

He reiterated that the two major “thorns” in bilateral relations—grey zones and demilitarization—are issues “that do not exist for Greece” and will not be up for discussion.

On territorial waters, Mitsotakis stressed Greece’s legal rights under international law. “Greece grew in the last six years, and the right to extend to twelve miles, as enshrined in international law, is an inalienable right of Greece that will be exercised when we judge conditions are most appropriate,” he said.

Regarding a potential solution with Türkiye, Mitsotakis suggested that disputes could be referred to an international judicial body. However, he cautioned, “As long as the theory of grey zones is on the table, as long as sovereignty—not sovereign rights—of Greek islands in the Aegean is even indirectly disputed, and as long as a threat of war hangs over us, it is very difficult to reach that point.”

By Vafa Guliyeva