By Daily Sabah,
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias Saturday pointed to relative optimism in ties with Türkiye as Athens rushed to its neighbors’ aid after the earthquake. The move was met with appreciation in Ankara.
“The Greek state and society rushed to help the neighboring country and Türkiye’s reception of this assistance highlights the closeness of the two peoples and the unwavering commitment of our country to support the Turkish people whenever there is a need,” said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in an interview with the Ta Nea newspaper.
He said the Greek help is not associated with any geopolitical calculations and is purely on humanitarian considerations.
Arguing that there is a “change of tone” by Türkiye on Greece, Dendias said it allows for “relative optimism” in bilateral relations.
“We should not forget, however, that we are always in a complex regional environment,” he said.
Dendias was one of the first foreign ministers to visit Türkiye after the disaster and received a warm welcome when he met his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, reiterating his country’s support for the earthquake relief.
Despite a history of rivalry with Türkiye that goes back centuries, Greece was also among the first European countries to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid on Feb. 6, a few hours after the disaster.
Territorial and energy disputes have exacerbated regional tension. Still, the two neighbors, both situated on seismic fault lines, also have a tradition of helping each other in natural disasters.
The Greek government has sent 80 tons of medical and first aid equipment. Thousands of Greeks have responded to calls for aid to quake-hit Türkiye, reviving memories of how a spontaneous outpouring of help after a similar disaster in 1999 brought the neighbors together when they seemed to be on the brink of war.
The earthquakes also have prompted the first contact between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in months.
Similarly, Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis on Friday said, “The reception of Greek aid and the Greek flag by Turkish society opens a window of opportunity to reduce the tension in the relations between the two people.
“We want to take advantage of this window of opportunity,” he said, noting that there could be a detente in bilateral relations.
On a more cautious note, however, Miltiadis admitted essential differences remained in the two countries’ perspectives on matters of mutual concern.
On the other side, the Greek people send another 120 tons of humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria on Friday.
Governor of the central Macedonia region, Apostolos Tzitzikostas coordinated the aid and send it from Thessaloniki.
“Over 120 tons of humanitarian aid left today from @PKMakedonias for the earthquake victims of Türkiye and Syria. A big thank you to our fellow citizens & the businesses of North Macedonia who proved in practice that solidarity has no borders,” he said on Twitter.
