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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "before Feb. 15" in Ankara, rejecting the need for any U.S. mediation.
He also warned that "as long as the casus belli exists, Türkiye cannot take advantage of European funding" for its defense industry.
In an interview with Greek media outlet SKAI television, Mitsotakis confirmed he will travel to Ankara in the coming weeks for talks with Erdogan.
"I will have the opportunity to be in Ankara in the coming weeks," Mitsotakis said, specifying the meeting would take place "before February 15."
Asked whether he shares concerns about frequent Trump-Erdogan communications and potential U.S. mediation, Mitsotakis was emphatic: "No, I do not share these concerns at all."
"Relations between Greece and Türkiye are autonomous. I don't think we need an arbitrator or mediator to discuss issues that concern the two countries. I believe Türkiye shares this view," he said.
Mitsotakis sent a clear message to Ankara regarding Türkiye's access to European defense funding.
"We were absolutely clear: as long as the casus belli exists, Türkiye cannot take advantage of European funding," Mitsotakis said, adding that, "Despite some questioning whether this stance had real value, it was proven by the results that we were able to achieve this goal."
He clarified that Athens' objective is not to permanently exclude Türkiye from stronger EU cooperation.
"Our goal is to use this negotiating card to convince Türkiye that these claims are entirely misguided and unnecessary, and in any case, more than 30 years after the 1995 National Assembly decision, when we talk about good relations between neighbors, what meaning can the casus belli have? We have enough problems in our region and in the world generally without adding more," Mitsotakis said.
Mitsotakis identified the core dispute with Türkiye while acknowledging recent diplomatic progress.
"The major issue, the big difference with Türkiye, is one and only: the delimitation of maritime zones, EEZ and continental shelf in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean," Mitsotakis said.
"As long as Türkiye adds other issues to this menu, you understand that moving further in this direction is something I consider difficult at this juncture," he added.
On Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan's pre-New Year statements about Türkiye's readiness for an Aegean solution, Mitsotakis said: "I take Mr. Fidan's statement as a positive acknowledgment that Türkiye may be able to examine some of its standing issues, not highlighting them with the same intensity as in the past."
"The two major ' thorns' in relations remain grey zones and demilitarization," Mitsotakis said, noting these are issues "that do not exist for Greece" and Athens will never enter such discussions.
On territorial waters, Mitsotakis noted that Greece has already extended its waters in the Ionian Sea under his government.
"Greece grew in the last six years, and the right to extend to twelve miles, as enshrined in international law, is an inalienable right of Greece that will be exercised when we judge conditions are most appropriate," he said.
Asked about a solution with Türkiye that is "nationally acceptable and politically manageable," Mitsotakis responded, "Yes, there is a solution that can be agreed with Türkiye. The solution itself can be a referral of our dispute to an international judicial body."
However, he cautioned: "As long as the theory of grey zones is on the table, as long as sovereignty—not sovereign rights—of Greek islands in the Aegean is even indirectly disputed, and as long as a threat of war hangs over us, it is very difficult to reach that point."
In Athens's relations with Israel, Mitsotakis emphasized the breadth of the relationship beyond geopolitics.
"Relations with Israel were built by several previous governments and certainly it is a relationship with great strategic depth. It is connected to our relations with the United States, but I would in no way see this relationship as competitive between Greece and Türkiye or between Israel and Türkiye," he said.
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He highlighted defense industry cooperation, particularly in air defense systems, and noted that Greece receives more than one million Israeli visitors annually.
Mitsotakis added that Israel relations have not competed with Greece's "very large openings" to the Arab world, citing upcoming visits to India and Abu Dhabi and close ties with Saudi Arabia.
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