ANKARA: A surprise high-level meeting in Brussels between Turkey, Greece and Germany has raised hopes that strained relations between Athens and Ankara could be mended through the mediation of the EU political and economic powerhouse.
Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, German Chancellor’s Foreign and Security Policy Adviser Jens Plattner and Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Greek Prime Ministry Anna-Maria Boura met in an effort to strengthen communication channels between two NATO allies Turkey and Greece .
No further details were released about the Berlin-brokered meeting, held at the office of the German representation in the European Union.
The meeting followed recent threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ankara’s newly tested domestic short-range ballistic missile, the Tefun, could hit Athens if “it does not remain calm” and if Athens ” Arms the islands.”
Turkey and Greece have disagreements over a number of deep-rooted issues, including military buildup in Greek islands near Turkey’s coastline, exploration of mineral resources in the Aegean, and competing claims for offshore waters.
Previous agreements between the two countries required that the islands remain demilitarized.
Erdogan has repeatedly issued direct threats over the Greek military presence on the islands, saying: “We can suddenly come one night.”
However, the Greek Foreign Ministry issued a statement in early December: “The statements made by the Turkish authorities on the demilitarization of the Aegean islands have been repeatedly rejected in full on the basis of a series of arguments, which include Also contained are the relevant letters that Greece sent to the UN Secretary-General.
During the dispute, Germany has always tried to appease the two NATO partners and act as a mediator in the standoff.
In October, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Ankara to end its threats against Greece over the islands and called on both sides to resolve the dispute through international law.
Jens Tessmann, head of the Istanbul office of Germany’s Stiftung Mercator, said Germany has a keen interest in resolving the Mediterranean conflict between Greece and Turkey for several reasons.
“However, there are reasons not to have high hopes for the talks: elections in both countries make concessions difficult. Furthermore, Germany has lost credibility as a mediator after German Foreign Minister Annalena Bierbock’s previous visits to Turkey and Greece. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu accused him of bias,” Tessman told Arab News.
During a joint press conference in Istanbul last July, the Turkish and German foreign ministers debated the disputes between Ankara and Athens, with Cavusoglu claiming Germany had lost its neutrality in mediating between Turkey and Greece.
According to Tessmann, there are few countries outside the European Union with which Germany has as close a relationship as Turkey.
Therefore, developments in Turkey often have a direct impact on Germany economically, socially and politically, he said.
From this point of view, experts note that any normalization of relations between Ankara and Athens could deepen the possibilities of cooperation in other areas and would benefit all.
Christian Brackel, head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation Turkish office, said the meeting was a promising step towards bringing the parties back to the table.
“With elections due in both countries in 2023, the priority now is to avoid confrontation,” he told Arab News.
“I believe that no country wants a real conflict, so agreeing on a simple mechanism or some red lines will ensure that heated rhetoric does not lead to accidental conflict,” he said.
In a situation where NATO is needed more than ever, Brakel said Germany, as an ally of both Turkey and Greece, is interested in reconciling against Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Tessmann agreed, saying that Russia’s war has increased Turkey’s importance as a geopolitical actor and NATO partner.
“Decision makers in Europe are aware of this, but the Eastern Mediterranean conflict makes constructive cooperation with Turkey difficult on many other levels,” he said.
Communication channels between Athens and Ankara were closed, especially after Erdogan said Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis “no longer exists” for him after the latter criticized the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey during his visit to the US. Allegedly lobbied to stop.
Ebru Turhan, associate professor of European studies at the Turkish-German University, drew attention to earlier efforts by Germany under Angela Merkel to mediate between the two NATO allies.
“During 2020-2021, Germany acted as a central mediator between Greece and Turkey in the mitigation of the so-called East Med crisis,” she told Arab News.
“Due to its balanced approach towards both countries and its rejection of imposing tough sanctions on Turkey, the then German federal government was considered by Ankara as a reliable mediator,” he added.
However, following Scholz’s visit to Athens in October and the prospect of an arms deal between Athens and Berlin, Turhan said that Germany’s role as a reliable and balanced crisis manager had deteriorated in the eyes of Turkey’s political elite and the mass media. Went.
“With a subtle and constructive approach towards both Turkey and Greece, the German federal government can regain its role as a balanced and reliable mediator in the Eastern Med crisis,” she said.
Turhan said, “It will soften and weaken the politicization and mediation of German-Turkish relations before the upcoming Turkish elections and improve German-Turkish bilateral relations.”
To restore their strained ties, Turhan said Greece and Turkey should focus on de-escalation and removing media influence from their dialogue.
“Instead of reverting to harsh public statements the political elite in both countries should engage in dialogue and deliberation on common challenges behind closed doors in a professional setting – what we also call megaphone diplomacy,” she said.