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Rapid developments are expected in the next 24 hours, as after the postponement of the EU Summit and the official announcement of the start of the 61st round of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey, the possibility is already in the works. Kyriakos Mitsotakis directly with Tayyip Erdogan.
Possible Mitsotaki – Erdogan conference call
In fact, both the Greek and the Turkish sides leave open the possibility of communication between the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas did not rule out that the start of the Athens-Ankara talks could be signaled by communications at the highest political level even earlier. postponed the EU Summit on 1 and 2 October.
As Stelios Petsas stressed, no one can prejudge anything and that the basic conditions are trust and good preparation.
“If they exist, anything is possible,” he told ERT, describing the resumption of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey as a positive step.
At the same time, the Turkish Hurriyet talks about an upcoming teleconference between Tayyip Erdogan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis and, as he writes after yesterday Erdogan’s conference call with Angela Merkel and Emmauel Macron “President Erdogan gave the message that we are ready for a dialogue with Greece. And that is what Merkel and Michel wanted to hear” while adding that exploratory contacts would begin on August 7, however the agreement between Greece and Egypt on the ZEE withdrew the dialogue.
The movements of Athens
Athens maintains that the agenda refers to the discussion of the main difference between the Greek-Turks from 1974 to today, namely the definition of the continental shelf and the EEZ, and does not include what Tayyip Erdogan occasionally requests. In this sense, the two parties will seek to find common ground in terms of a possible dialogue.
In fact, it clarifies Nikos Dendias, who in his remarks on Tuesday night said that we are not talking about negotiations but about discussions that will determine the rules from which the negotiations will take place.
Speaking in an online discussion organized by the Konstantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy, Mr. Dendias explained that having conversations means trying to find rules on which we will negotiate. “Why is it so difficult?” Why doesn’t Turkey accept international law as a common rule? “He asked.
“We will participate in this effort and we will try to restart exploratory contacts,” he said, expressing hope that it will be an opportunity, but noted that it is still too early.
Ankara’s aspirations
For its part, however, Turkey essentially insists on a broader dialogue that will not be limited to the definition of maritime zones (EEZ and continental shelf).
The Turkish Navtex is already operating in this direction for exercises in the northeast Aegean islands, specifically this time in Lemnos on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The symbolism of this version of Navtex is evident, since it was issued at a time when Athens announced the beginning of exploratory contacts and is linked to the claim of Turkey demilitarization of the Aegean islands.
So the moment Athens and Ankara shook hands and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that exploratory contacts will begin in the near future in Istanbul since, according to the label, the next round should take place at headquarters. From the other party (ss the first was in Athens), Ankara essentially accuses Athens of violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
“The regime of demilitarization of the island of Lemnos, as defined by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, has been violated,” reported the Turk Navtex.
Indeed, Tayyip Erdogan, in his conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron after many months, indirectly raised the issue in the form of a complaint about French support in Greece. 
The Turkish rebuke of maximalism
“I cannot understand the support that France is giving to the maximalist positions of Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration (ss Republic of Cyprus) that are increasing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said. Tayyip erdogan “The tension is there because the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean are being ignored,” he said.
He noted that “Turkey wants to resolve all problems at the negotiating table” and called on France to show a reasonable and constructive attitude.
“I find it useful to have continuous channels of communication and consultation between France and Turkey. “At the Summit, a constructive stance that strengthens dialogue and cooperation will be important to create opportunities to solve regional problems,” Erdogan concluded.
Macron Recommendations
The French president “urged Ankara to fully respect the sovereignty of the EU member states and international law and avoid any additional unilateral action that could cause tensions.”
The French Foreign Minister in the announcement issued after telephone communication of the two leaders, which lasted more than an hour, expressed the hope that the dialogue between Turkey and Greece would continue and that Macron called for a similar approach for Cyprus.
He added that the French and Turkish presidents agreed to maintain contact.
Erdogan’s barrage of contacts with EU and NATO leaders
The Turkish Presidency’s statement on the two leaders’ communication stressed that Erdogan emphasized the need to use diplomatic opportunities to reduce tensions and achieve viable negotiations, adding that Ankara expects a prudent and constructive approach from Paris.
In fact, after the contacts he had with Angela Merkel, Charles Michel and Emmanuel Macron, Tayyip Erdogan continues his contacts with the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. He will then contact NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by phone at 6pm
In this climate, it is clear that the issue of debating Euro-Turkish relations at the postponed EU summit is downgraded, and the Cyprus veto shows that Europe is essentially divided and cannot form a common strategy towards Turkey.
Penalties are lowered
In this context, the question of sanctions can remain formally active However, it is even more degraded as it would torpedo the climate of dialogue between Greece and Turkey, which is being promoted by Germany, but with the support of France in this direction, as evidenced by Macron’s telephone conversation with Erdogan.
Regarding the sanctions against Turkey, the government spokesman said that the EU sanctions list against the neighboring country would be approved at the leadership level, which is important because it acted as a deterrent to their provocation.
“The question is how these sanctions will be triggered, if Turkey continues,” the government spokesman said.
What does Athens say about de-escalation measures by Ankara?
“What was evidenced from Turkey’s first de-escalation attempt is transformed into something tangible, which is the resumption of contacts, something that due to the postponement of the European Council, goes to later,” said Petsas, highlighting that the important thing is than once exploratory contacts are initiated to enter a behaviorally provocative recession.
“It is inconceivable to discuss the demarcation of our maritime zones and to see ships in the area,” he said.
He reiterated that there is full coordination with Cyprus and that what matters now is how we get to the European Council: “We will arrive with a list of sanctions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council and approved by the leaders at the European Council level, but this What The main concern in these days of preparation and the live contacts of the leaders is how these sanctions will be activated in case the provocative behavior continues, for example in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus ”.
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