Messages from Athens to Ankara are soft

Mitsotakis, who hosted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Athens, described the developments in the Aegean as a "slight fluctuation" in his interview with the Greek press. He said that he did not have a planned meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but he was the prime minister who met with Erdoğan the most.

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING MESSAGE

Responding to criticism of the Athens Declaration signed between Ankara and Athens three years ago, Mitsotakis emphasized the importance of the communication framework that includes political dialogue, confidence-building measures and high-level contacts to be held this month. He stated that it is not possible to predict when a possible tension will occur. "The important thing is to always be able to pick up the phone and call the other party. Because I don't think anyone wants tension right now," he said. Mitsotakis said that Rubio supported Athens in the electric cable project, and that the extension of the line to Israel was also effective in the US approach. Arguing that the project will proceed as planned, the Greek Prime Minister emphasized to the domestic public that "he will not compromise his country's sovereign rights" on the eve of the general elections in the country.

ATHENS SLOWS GEAR

Meanwhile, Athens made a decision that would mean downshifting the cable project, which created tension between the two sides. Accordingly, the inspection authority for submarine cables and other critical underwater infrastructures in Greece was transferred from the Navy to the Coast Guard. The decision, like two years ago, is interpreted as a measure that could prevent Turkish-Greek warships from confronting each other, again due to the cable project.

'CONFIDENCE MEETING' FROM TURKISH-GREEK DELEGATIONS

The new round of Confidence Building Measures Meetings between TURKISH and Greek delegations was held in Crete, hosted by the Greek Ministry of National Defense. In the statement of the Ministry of National Defense, it was said: "A new round of the Confidence Building Measures meeting was held between the Turkish and Greek delegations. At the meeting, both parties reviewed the previously agreed Confidence Building Measures for 2026 and the implementation plan for 2027 was discussed. The next meeting will be in Turkey."