Greek and world media focus on the Erdogan-Mitsotakis meeting
The meeting between President Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara gave a boost to Turkish-Greek relations, while Greek and international media gave wide coverage to the meeting
Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ visit to Turkiye was widely covered in the Greek press. The Greek press drew attention to the economic compromise reached between the two countries despite disagreements on Hamas, Kariye Mosque, and Cyprus.
Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotaki arrived in Turkiye yesterday upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The critical summit of the two leaders was echoed not only in Turkiye and Greece but also in the world press.
In news reports, which also shared details about the dinner menu, it was written that artichokes with green beans, lamb chops with pistachios, small kebabs, and dolma were served at the dinner where Ottoman and Turkish music was played with kanun and oud.
Ta Vima’s headline was ‘Gerapetritis-Fidan’s role and next steps in Greek-Turkish relations.’ The newspaper reported that the meeting in Ankara brought up long-established disagreements and underlined the role played by Hakan Fidan and Giorgos Gerapetritis, the foreign ministers of the two countries, in the emergence of the current picture.
Ta Nea newspaper ran with the headline ‘Agreement for lasting calm in the Aegean,’ commenting that all traces of disagreements disappeared during the official dinner in Ankara, and emphasizing that there was no trace of the Thracian minorities and Hamas clashes in front of the cameras.
Kathimerini, on the other hand, reported that the talks in Ankara produced compromises, such as keeping the Aegean Sea calm and communication channels open, but also disagreements in key policy areas. According to the newspaper, Türkiye and Greece disagreed on topics such as minorities in Thrace, Cyprus, the Kariye Mosque, and Hamas.
A behind-the-scenes analysis of the visit highlighted the economic compromise reached between Ankara and Athens despite disagreements. The newspaper’s Türkiye correspondent Manolis Kostidis reported that Frangosyriani rebetiko was played during the dinner, where Ottoman and Turkish music was played with kanun and oud. The official dinner menu included artichokes with green beans, lamb chops with pistachios, small kebabs, and dolmas. Baklava and halva were served for dessert.
Ethnos newspaper published a report titled, ‘The agenda and background of Mitsotakis-Erdogan: Points of convergence and foci of disagreement,’ and said that despite their differences, leaders of the two countries showed that they wanted to remain at the dialog table. CNN Greece also reported that the summit was welcomed in Washington.
International press closely followed Erdogan-Mitsotakis meeting
The world media also closely followed the Erdogan-Mitsotakis summit. The Times of Israel noted that Erdogan reiterated his view of Hamas as a resistance movement.
‘Erdogan Criticizes NATO Ally Over Hamas,’ the Hindustan Times headlined, ‘Turkish President Erdogan criticized a NATO leader while openly supporting Hamas.’
Euronews reported in its report titled, ‘Leaders meet to resolve Greece, Türkiye ties’ that ‘The leaders of Greece and Türkiye met on Monday for talks aimed at underscoring efforts to set aside decades of disagreements, but also revealed deep divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.’
Al Jazeera, on the other hand, ran the headline “no unresolved problems.”
China-based Xinhua, in a report titled ‘Turkish President Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister emphasizes continued positive momentum in relations,’ reported that ‘The Turkish president said the two sides held constructive dialogue addressing issues in Türkiye-Greece relations and agreed to target the bilateral trade volume at $10 billion.
Source: Newsroom
