Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on Turkey to remove its long-standing threat of war as Athens and Ankara seek to maintain dialogue over longstanding disputes in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Speaking in Ankara after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mitsotakis said the improved climate in bilateral relations made it the right moment to address lingering threats.
“This is why I believe, in the same spirit as the positive experience that has transpired, that it is time now to lift every threat, formal and substantive, in our relations. If not now, then when?” he said.
Greece and Turkey, both NATO allies, remain divided over maritime boundaries, Cyprus and energy exploration rights, and have come close to conflict several times in recent decades.
Η Σύνοδος του Ανώτατου Συμβουλίου Συνεργασίας Ελλάδας-Τουρκίας επιβεβαιώνει την αξία που έχουν ο διάλογος αλλά και οι σχέσεις καλής γειτονίας, ιδίως σε ένα ρευστό και συνεχώς μεταβαλλόμενο διεθνές περιβάλλον. https://t.co/I4LeoOREeO pic.twitter.com/Gi9qQdOCHy
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) February 11, 2026
Tensions have resurfaced after Greek officials reaffirmed Greece’s right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 nautical miles, a move Turkey’s parliament declared a “cause of war” in 1995.
The talks came as Erdogan said disputes were “not insurmountable under international law,” while Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s position that normalisation requires Ankara to abandon threats linked to the sea boundary dispute.
The two leaders also oversaw the signing of agreements on areas including investment, trade, disaster response and technology during a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting.
Source: AP News.
