Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12.
On Wednesday, at around midday, the two leaders will meet after the conclusion of the Summit's agenda - but they will not be alone.
On the Prime Minister's side will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Papadopoulou will probably also be present; and the diplomatic adviser of Mitsotakis, Anna Maria Boura.
In the next few hours, the exact composition will be known. If the meeting goes well, exploratory contacts may begin within a reasonable time.
From Turkey's side, together with Erdoğan will be the foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; the press representative Akif Çağatay Kılıç, a close advisor to the Turkish president; and possibly the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister.
What Athens wants
Athens expects to keep the tone low, as it was after the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey, and to continue the normalisation of relations, but to do this, Ankara should not raise issues that constitute "red lines" for the Greek side.
These issues include Turkey's illegal demands for Greece to demilitarise its islands and the promotion of the "Blue Homeland" doctrine, and for Turkey to take a "step back" from provocations.
Athens believes there are 'positive agenda' issues in which discussions can proceed, such as the economy, bilateral trade, or civil protection issues that emerged with the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
According to SKAI, the Greek side is discussing only one dispute with Turkey, that is the determination of the continental shelf/Economic Exclusion Zone, with the Prime Minister pointing out on Thursday in the Parliament that for this issue the Hague Court could be a way out.
What does Ankara say?
On the Turkish side, there is moderate optimism for the upcoming meeting.
The main issue is the continental shelf, however in Ankara, they consider that there are "multiple issues affecting it", and they will be put on the table.
In the neighbourhood, they expect "decisive steps" from the Greek side, and they think that now Mitsotakis can give the appropriate orders.
At the meeting, the two leaders may decide on their next meeting and announce it. This will depend on the climate. The pre-arrangement made for this meeting is good, so there may be a subsequent meeting which will be officially announced at the Vilnius Summit.
READ MORE: Hakan Fidan: "He is Erdoğan's ultimate loyalist," says Le Monde.
