Hasan Yaci is a Staff Correspondent for JURIST and a senior law student at Türkiye’s Galatasaray University in Istanbul. This is his first dispatch. 

Athens hosted Turkish President Erdogan for the occasion of the 5th Greece-Türkiye High Level Cooperation Council on 7 December. The meeting, which marked the Turkish President’s first visit to Greece since 2017, provided an occasion for warm handshakes and smiles between President Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The parties signed a comprehensive set of 15 agreements, memoranda, and joint declarations. Accordingly, the visit and agreements mark a new friendly era in the bilateral relations between the two neighboring states who have in recent years been hostile to each other over disputed issues in the Aegean and in the East Mediterranean Sea.

What do the agreements cover?

Education, commerce, energy, investments, sports, tourism, science, and development are some of the topics covered by the documents.

A Joint Declaration of friendly ties and good neighborly relations highlighted the willingness of both national parties to have peaceful and calm relations.

A Joint Declaration on cooperation in the tourism sector aims to increase the tourism between two countries. Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis has announced a new visa program for Turkish tourists, which would make it possible to apply for a 7-day visa at the door for 10 Greek islands. Accordingly, Greek authorities are now preparing the regulation to be implemented following the European Union (EU) Commission’s approval.

An Agreement on Education envisages joint activities for teachers, students, and exchange programs, which are important to foster friendly relations between the two nations. It also concerns the recognition of diplomas and collaboration between the Ministries of Education.

Although not legally binding, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS)  (ADMIE-TEIAS) focuses on the establishment of a new interconnection line to link Nea Santa and Babaeski to enhance electrical interconnection between the two countries by boosting two-way energy flow by 600 MW.

An MoU concerning the small- and medium-sized enterprises concerns expansion of business connections between medium and small enterprises of the two countries by making the flow of know-how and information easier was also signed. Another MoU between EG and Invest in TR concerns establishing stable, resilient, and adaptable investment environment, promoting and encouraging business cooperation and formulation of investment programs.

Background of Greece-Türkiye Relations

The relationship between the two states is a complex and long one. Both States joined NATO in the same year, 1952, during the Cold War era. Being in the same military alliance, there were times in history when the countries came to the edge of war over disputed issues.

The dispute over the Aegean Sea concerns sovereignty in the region. Where Greek islands are so close to Turkish mainland even that they can be seen by the eye, the issue of territorial water and continental shelf becomes more important. Both parties claim 6 nautical miles of territorial water, which also gives air control. Greece, being a party to UNCLOS, which states that it has the right to extend its territorial water up to 12 nautical miles in virtue of Article 3 of the Convention. Türkiye, not being a party to UNCLOS, is a persistent objector. Ankara states that having 12 nautical miles of territorial water in the region does not comply with the equity principle given the geographic realities of the region. For the same reasons, the Turkish side objects to the weaponization of the islands. Since there is no delimitation agreement between the parties, the continental shelf is another dispute that causes tensions between the two states.

Cyprus is another point of conflict. Türkiye recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which declared independence in 1983 following the military operation of Türkiye, whereas Greece still holds the view of one Cyprus. Although the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is de jure recognized only by Türkiye, there are European Court of Human Rights decisions that acknowledge some institutions of the Republic as domestic effective remedy. On 1 March 2010, the EcHR in the decision on the admissibility of Demopoulos and Others v.Turkey accepted that Law No. 67/2005 and Immovable Property Commission provided a domestic effective remedy, hence to be applied in order to exhaust the local remedies.

Lastly, the issue of minorities is an important aspect of the relations. At a press conference during his visit, President Erdogan talked about the ‘Turkish minority’ within Greece and their situation, after which President Mitsotakis, in a slight moment of uneasiness between the two leaders, stated that the ‘minority’ being spoken of was a  ‘Muslim minority’ within Greece, rather than a Turkish one.

What is Next?

Although Memorandums of Understanding and Joint Declarations are not legally binding, they reflect the parties’ strong willingness to tie and deepen relations. It is clear that the documents do not concern the disputed issues such as those of Cyprus and the Aegean Sea. However, they could be in the early stages of the way to the solutions. Parties have committed to refrain from any acts or statements that might worsen the relations and undermine the friendly spirit of the agreements. Also, both leaders accepted solving the disputes via peaceful means. President Mitsotakis has set a ‘realistic goal’ to increase the trade relations between two states to $10.8 billion in the following 5 years. Better and friendly diplomatic and trade relations would eventually result in the settlement of the longstanding disputes that have poisoned relations between the nations for decades.

According to Greek officials, good cooperation has already started to show results. Dimitris Kairidis, Greek Minister of Migration, has noted that there has been a reduction in illegal migrants by 60% in the last 2 months, which is made possible by better cooperation with Turkish coastal guards.

‘There is no issue between Türkiye and Greece that cannot be solved.’ stated President Erdogan. The leader also highlighted Turkish side’s commitment to resolve the issues via constructive dialogue, and good neighbourly relations within the framework of international law to turn the Aegean into a sea of peace.