site.btaNext Greece-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council Most Likely to Be in February

The next Greece-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council may take place in February according to the online edition of the newspaper Kathimerini, citing information from sources in both capitals. It will be held in Ankara with the participation of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A specific date has not yet been set.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkiye, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan respectively, held talks to assess the state of bilateral relations and explore the possibility of convening a long-delayed bilateral summit. Officials said that the upcoming summit was the main focus of the talks, along with discussions on a wider range of regional developments.

A new round of political dialogue between Greece and Turkiye is scheduled for January 20 and 21. At the same time, discussions are underway to resume confidence-building measures, which have largely stalled in recent months.

Holding the council meeting in February would signal that Athens and Ankara are seeking to maintain constructive communication, which is also encouraged by the US President Donald Trump administration. For Turkiye, demonstrating good behaviour is linked to its broader efforts to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet programme following talks with Washington. For Greece, convening the council also has domestic political significance, as maintaining calm relations is considered particularly important in an election year. At the same time, it would show partners that Athens has not given up on resolving its differences with Ankara, and that its close ties with Israel do not imply open hostility towards Turkiye, Kathimerini adds. Nevertheless, tensions between the two countries persist, including sporadic Turkish military aircraft incursions into Greek airspace and disputes over jurisdiction in the eastern Aegean Sea.