Amidst Ankara’s threats of war against Greece, defence ministers agree to maintain communication

Following Ankara’s repeated threats of war against Greece and its disputing of Athens’s sovereignty over its Eastern Aegean islands, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, held talks on the margins of a NATO defence ministers’ meeting today.

“What was underlined was the importance of keeping open channels of communication and meetings between Greece and Turkey, and the need to establish a climate of stability in the region,” the Greek defence ministry said in the statement.

Panagiotopoulos – during the 40-minute talks – reportedly told his counterpart that there cannot be a de-escalation of tensions as long as the Turkish side continues with its aggressive rhetoric, which reaches the point of disputing Greek sovereignty.

Certainly, the Greek side must view the meeting with cautious optimism at best.

The optimistic air of exuberance after a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul last March was followed by a barrage of violations of Greek airspace, threats of war against Greece, and Ankara’s disputes of Greek sovereignty over its Aegean islands.

After today’s talks between Panagiotopoulos and Akar, there was no mention of a resumption of exploratory talks or of pushing forward with confidence-building measures.

The Greek defence minister also held a 20-minute meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Maintaining open channel of communication

The two ministers agreed to keep open a channel of communication between them in order to restore a dialogue based on good neighbourly relations, as befits NATO allies.

The structure and objective of such a channel and how it might operate, if it is established, remained vague.

‘Positive climate’

According to a report by veteran political correspondent Christina Korai on MEGA television’s “Live News” programme, it was the Turkish side that requested the meeting and the Greek side, reportedly despite certain reservations, responded positively.

Panagiotopoulos reportedly told Akar that Turkey’s aggressive rhetoric cannot continue and that tensions must be defused immediately.

“The climate of the meeting was positive,” Mega reported, though there was no indication of Akar’s response or demands.