By breaking the Lausanne and Paris treaties, the Athens administration, which deployed military elements to the islands next to us, increased the land waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 miles to 12 miles with a decision taken last week. Just before the exploratory talks, it is a matter of curiosity about what Greece will want at the table, taking one more controversial step.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu invited Greece to exploratory talks on January 11 and once again demonstrated Turkey's stance in favor of dialogue, cooperation and solution. Stating that Turkey will host the negotiations, Çavuşoğlu's call for the delegations to set negotiation dates was answered in a short time. Following the talks between the Turkish and Greek foreign ministries, it was decided to hold the 61st round of exploratory talks on January 25 in Istanbul. Greek Prime Minister Kiriakos Mitsotakis also gave the message that they will participate in the exploratory talks to be held with Turkey on January 20, with "optimism and confidence".
BEGINS AGAIN AFTER 5 YEARS
The first exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece were held in Ankara in 2002, between the undersecretaries of the foreign ministry of the two countries. 60 rounds of meetings were held between the parties until 2016. The 60th round, the last meeting, was held in Athens in March 2016. The talks, which were suspended after this date due to the reluctant attitude of the government of the then Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, continued in the form of political consultations, but could not return to the exploratory framework. The recently increasing tension between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean once again revealed the importance of establishing dialogue between the parties.
FRENCH MINISTER IN ATHENS
French Defense Minister Florence Parly will visit Athens today for the sale of 18 Rafale fighter jets to Greece. The signing ceremony will take place on the same day as the exploratory talks between the Turkey and Greece.
They increased from 6 miles to 12 miles
With a decision taken last week, Greece increased its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 miles to 12 miles. Greece's unlawfulness also got away with it, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that this step did not affect Turkey. The fact that Greece took this decision just days before the 61st round of exploratory talks in Istanbul carried a covert message.
When is that time?
While Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis claimed that their decision was in accordance with international law, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias stated that this decision was the sovereign right of Greece. Greek Interior Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis did not hesitate to say that they would take a similar step in the Aegean Sea when the time came.