Photographer: Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP / Getty Images
For the first time since 2016, Turkey and Greece will try to address differences across maritime borders and offshore energy sources.
Diplomats from the two countries will meet in Istanbul on Jan. 25 to begin “exploratory talks,” the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers said late Monday. Greek officials have ruled out extending the scope of the negotiations to other long-term disputes with Turkey.
Disputed waters
Competing Claims About the Eastern Mediterranean
Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey; Anadolu Agency; Greek media reports; Flanders Marine Institute
The announcement comes just weeks after the The European Union pledged to increase the number of Turkish officials sanctioned for the country’s energy exploration in the disputed waters of the Eastern Mediterranean. Cyprus, Greece and France this week proposed a list of possible new targets.
“I think exploratory talks with Greece will herald a new era,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told European Union member ambassadors in Ankara on Tuesday. At the same time, Erdogan urged Greece to “avoid the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
Ankara and Athens are engaged in a confrontation over conflicting interpretations of sea borders. Competing claims for sovereignty over waters rich in hydrocarbon reserves led to a stalemate at sea between Greece and Turkey in 2020.
Another A thorn in the relationship is Turkey’s continued control over Northern Cyprus, which it seized after a coup attempt involving a military junta in Athens attempting to unite the island with Greece.
Cyprus and Greece say Turkey’s maritime claims infringe their sovereignty and have repeatedly demanded that the EU impose sweeping economic sanctions. Such demands have so far not received the required unanimous support from EU member states, many of whom fear an escalation that would sever the bloc’s ties with Ankara.
EU pledges to expand Turkey’s sanctions list in measured warning
Erdogan has toned down his predominantly confrontational rhetoric towards the 27-nation bloc in recent months and says his country wants a new chapter in its relations with the EU. His government also ordered an energy exploration ship to limit its work to an area far from the Greek islands until June 15, after the ship’s operations angered Greece.
On Tuesday, Erdogan urged the EU to fulfill its promises to Turkey, which included updating their customs union and waiving visa requirements for Turkish citizens. He also called on the bloc to update a 2016 deal that would see Turkey stop the flow of migrants to Europe in exchange for financial aid.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who addressed EU ambassadors earlier on Tuesday, said he and Greek Foreign Minister Nikolaos Dendias have agreed to meet after the exploratory talks in Istanbul.
But a Greek diplomat said there had been no such agreement for a meeting between the ministers.
The conflicts that hold Turkey and Greece at odds: QuickTake
The weeks that preceded it until the negotiations will entail some heightened tensions. A senior diplomat in Brussels said Cyprus, Greece and France jointly presented this week a list of other Turkish officials they would like to see punished for their country’s drilling operations off the coast of Cyprus.
The blacklist so far only includes two persons and has no material impact on the Turkish economy. EU officials will begin discussing the proposed additional mentions next week, although it is unclear whether the latest push will fare better than previous attempts.
The Greek government, meanwhile, has submitted two bills to parliament that could anger Ankara.
The first aims to ratify the extension of the country’s western territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from six, something Greece also reserves the right to do in the disputed Aegean. The second proposal concerns the purchase of 18 Rafale jet fighters from France after months of military saber rattling in the region. A vote will be taken on both bills in the coming days.
– With help from Paul Tugwell
(Updates with comment from Greek diplomat in 11th paragraph.)