Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting on sidelines of NATO summit; 16 months after last such contacts

A closely watched meeting on Wednesday between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – both of whom were recently re-elected in respective elections – lasted for one hour on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius.

The meeting commenced at roughly noon local time, and was originally set to last for half an hour.

The last face-to-face contacts between the two leaders came 16 months ago in Istanbul, with the ensuing period witnessing both a “nadir” in terms of bilateral relations – on the back of unprecedented provocations and verbal belligerence by Ankara – but followed by a “thaw” after February’s devastating quakes in southeast Turkey.

According to sources, the meeting was held in a good climate, with Mitsotakis reportedly referring to contacts already held by the two countries’ new foreign ministers.