Telephone contact with US National Security Advisor, Mike Waltsto have the Foreign Minister in the afternoon George Gerapetritisat the request of the American side. However, communication is finally postponed to the end of the week.
It is estimated that the postponement came after Salo with the leakage of information about Yemen involved by Walts National Security Advisor who put in the secret messages between officials and a journalist.
Communication, however, is of particular interest, as today the Turkish Foreign Minister is paying a two -day visit to Washington. Hakan Fidan And the adviser to the Turkish President, T. Kilits, in an effort to resume US -Turkish relations.
These processes are being made while in Athens the ongoing political crisis in Turkey is concerned and concerned with mass demonstrations and reactions to the arrest and temporary imprisonment of the Mayor of Constantinople, Imamoglouin relation to how the Erdogan government’s overall policy will be influenced and the preparation of the ASS meeting and the Greek-Turkey peak meeting in Ankara.
The statement by government spokesman P. Marinakis that “concessions to the rule of law should not be tolerated” and that “in this context it is made difficult to organize the Supreme Cooperation Council immediately”, the impression that the ASS and the summit were postponed again.
Higher diplomatic source, however, which recognizes the difficulties arising from the situation in Turkeyhe clarified that such a meeting in the midst of demonstrations and almost an enduring political controversy in Turkey could not be held. He insisted, however, that the contacts, which would continue with the meeting of the Gerapetritis – Fidan on the sidelines of his ministerial meeting. NATO In Brussels (April 3-4), they aim to form the framework and the “status of allowing” the ASS to meet by the end of April.
It is obvious that, in this environment that has been caused by Turkey due to the arrest of Imamoglou, a European leader’s visit and even a neighboring Turkey country could be misunderstood as a involvement in the internal political crisis and as supporting one side or the other. Also, with the mind of the Turkish leadership facing the management of this serious crisis, the meetings could not focus on promoting consensus necessary to proceed with the Greek -Turkish.
The same higher diplomatic source insists, however, that although it has not yet been in common with Turkey on its issue Cyprus – Crete electric interconnectioninvestigations will be repeated before the USSR and the Foreign Ministry is waiting to be informed by the company of the planning and the coordinates where the research ship will move. Also, by the end of April, Athens has decided to submit the maritime spatial planning in the Commission so that it is consistent with the two -month deadline set by the European court Following the conviction against Greece to delay the submission of the MSS to the Commission.
As Turkey has reacted strongly on both issues, and even on the issue of electrical interconnection and with the military threat on the field, it is unknown, though in what terms Athens will proceed with both the investigations and the deposition of the MSS, how to manage its reaction to Turkey.
Athens is closely watching Turkey’s attempt to re-ease the thread of US-Turkish relations, which began with Trump-Erdogan telephone and continues with talks today and tomorrow in Washington by Foreign Minister H. Fidan and Advisor.
With very interesting, however, there is expected to be reported today by Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis with a senior official of the Trump government, probably with National Security Advisor M. Walts.
On the agenda of the Turkish delegation is the lifting of sanctions CAATSAleaving Turkey outside the F-35 program, the situation in Syria and the continued support of Americans in the SDF Kurds, as well as developments in Ukraine. Ankara seeks to send to Washington a strong message that it can play important rolecompatible with Trump’s aspirations, both in the Black Sea and in the Middle East, in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, and in Africa. At the same time, he wants to be a powerful pillar in European defense, remaining faithful to the US relationship.