Our View: Any progress in Greece–Turkey ties is good news for Cyprus
Low expectations were cultivated in the build-up to the meeting between Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday. The last time there had been such a meeting was almost two years ago, in May 2024, and even though relations have been relatively calm in the meantime, it was very important for the leaders to get together and keep the dialogue going.
This was Sixth Supreme Council of Turkey-Greece Cooperation and there will be another one in Athens at some point, although no dates were given. It was confirmation that Wednesday’s talks had gone well as the joint declaration issued after the meeting emphasised. In the declaration the leaders re-confirmed their commitment to the promotion of friendly relations, good neighbourliness and peaceful coexistence, in line with the ‘Declaration of Athens’ of December 7, 2023. They also stressed the importance of keeping open corridors of communication at all levels and avoiding tensions that could lead to escalations.
Economic cooperation was progressing, with both sides repeating their commitment to bilateral trade reaching $10 billion by 2030 through the strengthening of cooperation between the business communities. Trade reached $7 billion in 2025, said Erdogan. They also welcomed the progress in cooperation in dealing with irregular migration as well as the tripartite mechanism with Bulgaria. Mitsotakis said that migration flows had been reduced by 60 per cent last year.
The cooperation and structured dialogue is paying dividends in many ways. Another big positive was that the differences over the seas were also discussed. During the joint news conference, both leaders indicated they were prepared to find a way of resolving their long-standing disputes, with regard to the continental shelf and EEZ in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The differences were not “unsolvable” in the framework of international law, said Erdogan, “as long as there is good faith, constructive dialogue and the will for a solution.”
Mitsotakis, who said he hoped he could share Erdogan’s optimism, agreed that the dispute could be taken to an international arbitration body that would address the matter on the basis of international law and the law of the sea. Although the matter was discussed between the leaders, there still seems to be a gap separating them. However, the fact that they were both looking for a way forward, rather than resorting to the old, sterile rhetoric, is a positive development. Changes in position on long-standing differences do not happen overnight but take time.
The Sixth Supreme Council of Cooperation could not have gone much better. This is also good for Cyprus, because with Greece-Turkey relations improving, the Cyprus problem may also eventually benefit from the positive momentum.