Mitsotakis and Erdogan Eye High-Level Summit Amid Strained Greek-Turkish Ties

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are considering a bilateral summit as early as February 2026, following a phone call on Monday between Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan.

The conversation focused on assessing the current state of Greek-Turkish relations—which have cooled since September 2025—and preparations for the next session of the Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council (also known as the Supreme Cooperation Council) in Ankara.

Diplomatic sources from both Athens and Ankara indicate that while no firm date has been set, planning points to a potential meeting in February. The summit would aim to demonstrate constructive dialogue between the two NATO allies, encouraged by the incoming U.S. administration under President Donald Trump.

Key preparatory steps include:

• Deputy foreign minister meetings on January 20–21 in Athens: Political Dialogue (led by Alexandra Papadopoulou) and Positive Agenda talks (led by Haris Theocharis).
• Efforts to revive stalled confidence-building measures (CBMs).

For Turkey, projecting calm relations supports its push to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program through negotiations with Washington. For Greece, the council holds domestic value in a pre-election period, helping maintain stability while signaling to allies that Athens remains committed to dialogue with Ankara—despite strengthened ties with Israel.

Underlying tensions persist, including Turkish airspace violations over the Aegean, a recent mock dogfight incident, and ongoing disputes over maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This potential summit comes amid broader regional dynamics, with both sides navigating U.S. influence and competing alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean. If realized, it could help de-escalate frictions and rebuild momentum lost in recent months.

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