Ankara, February 12, 2026 – Greece and Turkey took concrete steps to strengthen bilateral ties on February 11, 2026, by signing multiple agreements during the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council (also known as the Supreme Council of Cooperation) held in Ankara.
The meeting, co-chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, focused on a “positive agenda” of practical cooperation in trade, tourism, disaster response, culture, science, and technology—while maintaining open political dialogue between the two neighboring NATO allies.
High-Level Engagement and Parallel Meetings
Mitsotakis and Erdoğan held private talks at the Presidential Complex, followed by expanded delegation sessions. Ten Greek ministers conducted separate bilateral meetings with their Turkish counterparts, highlighting the broad sectoral approach to improving Greece-Turkey relations.
Main Agreements and Initiatives Signed
The two sides finalized several accords aimed at deepening everyday cooperation:
- Economic and Trade Boost — Measures to promote mutual investments and double bilateral trade volume (currently around €5 billion, with a target of €10 billion).
- New Ferry Route — Launch of a direct passenger and vehicle ferry service connecting Thessaloniki (Greece) and İzmir (Turkey) to enhance tourism flows and people-to-people contacts.
- Black Sea Cooperation — Strengthened coordination between the foreign ministries within the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) framework.
- Earthquake Preparedness — Joint protocols for disaster risk reduction, early warning, and mutual assistance in response to earthquakes—a shared priority given the seismic vulnerability of the region.
- Cultural Ties — A memorandum of understanding to expand cultural exchanges, heritage protection, and joint events.
- Science & Technology — An agreement between Greece’s Ministry of Development and Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology to advance research, innovation, and industrial collaboration.
Context and Outlook
The agreements build on recent de-escalation efforts in the Aegean, even as core disputes (maritime boundaries, continental shelf, airspace) remain unresolved. Both leaders described the outcome as a step toward more stable and constructive Greece-Turkey bilateral relations, emphasizing that open communication channels benefit regional security.
The visit concluded with a joint press conference where Erdoğan and Mitsotakis reaffirmed their commitment to dialogue “as neighboring allies.” Officials from both capitals indicated that follow-up mechanisms will track implementation of the new accords.
This latest round of high-level engagement underscores a pragmatic approach: advancing tangible cooperation in non-contentious areas while keeping lines open for future discussions on more sensitive issues.