The cancellation of a planned meeting in New York between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stirred political debate in Athens, with opposition parties denouncing foreign policy missteps.
For his part, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said the meeting was postponed due to scheduling conflicts, but emphasized: “There is no question of stopping the dialogue. What we want to achieve with Turkey is a structured dialogue that recognizes the value of communication, so that crises are not produced.”
He added that a meeting between the two leaders would be arranged in the near future.
Gerapetritis also highlighted Greece’s “strategic cooperation” with Egypt after talks with his Egyptian counterpart.
The opposition, however, sharply criticized the canceled Erdogan meeting. Socialist PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis called the postponement evidence of “amateurism” at the Foreign Ministry, accusing the government of “propaganda” over claims of calm relations with Turkey.
Leftist SYRIZA’s Sokratis Famellos called Mitsotakis “dangerous for national interests,” while the Greek communist party KKE said the cancellation reflected a Turkish “diplomatic show of force.”
Far right nationalist party Greek Solution’s Kyriakos Velopoulos charged that Greece’s leadership had become “unwelcome” internationally.