Mitsotakis to meet Erdogan on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO Summit

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will have a meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, on Wednesday. The prime minister expressed the hope that they would make the first step in restarting Greek-Turkish relations, insisting that Greece and Turkey are not doomed to live in a climate of tension.

"We can agree on a road map that will lead to the resolution of the sole dispute we have with Turkey, namely the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ," Mitsotakis said adding that "a positive climate has been created over the last months in the relations between the two countries. He also expressed the hope and both countries can build on this positive climate and make some important steps forward, which will be to the benefit of both peoples.

According to government sources, Turkey's re-approachment with the West is a positive development. As far as the F-16 issue is concerned, the same government sources pointed out that four years ago the neighboring country would have received 100 US 5th generation F-35 fighters without any restrictions, while today it is subject to congressional restrictions on the upgrading and acquiring fighters, type F-16.

The Greek premier will also have bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski.

After the conclusion of the proceedings of the summit, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will hold a press conference.