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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece seeks a "normal, functional relationship" with Türkiye following his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the 6th Greece-Türkiye High-Level Cooperation Council in Ankara on Feb. 11.
"With President Erdogan, we had a frank and substantive discussion about what brings us closer together, but also about what divides us," Mitsotakis wrote in a Facebook post Sunday, Feb. 15.
"Our disagreements are real and significant. We do not underestimate them," he noted.
The prime minister emphasized that despite ongoing disputes, both nations can now address differences "without tensions, with open channels of communication, self-confidence and steady reference to international law."
"Greece does not seek either tension or inaction. We want a normal, functional relationship with Türkiye, with the national interest as our constant guide," Mitsotakis said.
"Geography makes us neighbors. In a fluid international environment, we choose stability," he added.
According to Greek daily Kathimerini, Mitsotakis and Erdogan agreed behind closed doors that neither Athens nor Ankara would welcome potential U.S. arbitration in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean disputes.
The two leaders reportedly assessed that Washington is unlikely to push for comprehensive solutions in the region in the foreseeable future, with the Trump administration focused on major international crises, including Ukraine and the Middle East.
"Both sides concluded the U.S. would not turn its attention to Greek-Turkish issues as long as Athens and Ankara maintain open communication channels and 'calm waters' in the region," the report said.
The prime minister highlighted that the structured dialogue initiated over the past two and a half years "has yielded concrete, tangible results" and expanded areas of cooperation.
"We continue on the path of responsibility. This is what the majority of citizens want: a Greece of national self-confidence, not national hysteria," Mitsotakis wrote.
The sixth meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council took place at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Feb. 11, where both leaders attended a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements.
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