Top diplomats of Aegean rivals Türkiye and Greece are laying the groundwork for a pivotal summit between their leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The leaders are expected to meet in Ankara in late January or early February as part of the High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC), a key mechanism for advancing bilateral dialogue and cooperation.
Neighbors Greece and Türkiye, both NATO allies but historic foes, have long been at odds over issues, including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, migration, flights over the Aegean Sea and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday before the meeting.
The diplomats discussed the HLCC’s preparation, emphasizing the need to sustain recent momentum in political dialogue and a “positive agenda.”
Both ministers stressed the importance of restraint and de-escalation in bilateral relations, echoing the ongoing diplomatic push to reset ties between the neighboring nations.
The pair met in Athens last month to explore whether there is room for resolving the maritime dispute, which has been largely frozen for long years since neither side is willing to budge on their terms.
An agreement on where their maritime zones begin and end is important for determining rights over possible gas reserves and power infrastructure schemes.
Tensions have eased in recent years between historical rivals and both countries agreed last year to reboot their relations, pledging to keep open communication channels and work on the issues that have kept them apart.
Fidan and Gerapetritis are also spearheading a joint Greek-Turkish initiative within the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which will formalize the nomination of Türkiye’s Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Greece’s Mania Telalian for senior OSCE roles.
The OSCE effort required months of diplomacy, with Athens and Nicosia aligning positions to overcome potential hurdles, the Greek daily Kathimerini wrote.
While tensions persist over territorial waters, recent seabed surveys south of Kasos and Karpathos conducted by the Italian vessel Ievoli Relume signal continued progress.
The Brussels meeting also touched on broader regional crises.
Gerapetritis advocated for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the release of hostages and progress toward a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
Ankara and Athens disagree over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which Türkiye calls a “genocidal war,” and Greece considers it “self-defense.”
As preparations continue for the HLCC summit in Ankara, the series of high-level meetings suggest a cautious but deliberate effort by both nations to recalibrate relations.
The coming months will test whether this rapprochement can yield lasting results amid enduring disputes.