Erdogan's visit to Athens, which included the signing of a "Declaration of Friendship and Good Neighbourliness" between Greece and Turkey, as well as the many admitted agreements signed between ministers of the two countries on low-policy issues, filled with hope and optimism for a new beginning in Greek-Turkish relations.
Also positive was the assessment of Erdogan's visit to Athens and the warm climate, by the international community, especially by the US-EU, which did not want to see a new tension in Greek-Turkish relations while they have two wars going on in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan wants cooperation with Greece in energy and even in nuclear energy
Erdogan even said, according to an international reputable media outlet, that his country is considering allowing neighboring Greece ,to benefit from a nuclear power plant that Turkey plans to build near the Black Sea coast
The Turkish president made the comments on his return from a visit to Athens on Thursday, where longtime regional rivals Greece and Turkey took significant steps to mend their troubled ties.
"We are trying to develop and expand cooperation with Greece not only in the energy sector but also in all fields, including nuclear energy," Erdogan told a group of reporters on the flight home.
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Επτασφράγιστο μυστικό; Για λόγους τιμής το έγκλημα στην Σαλαμίνα από τον Μουσουλμάνο με τις δυο ταυτότητες
"For example, we can provide Greece with the opportunity (to benefit) from the energy of our nuclear power plant to be built in Sinope (province)."
His comments were reported by state-run Anadolu and other media on Friday.
During Erdogan's visit on Thursday, Greece and Turkey signed more than a dozen cooperation agreements on trade, energy and education and announced a roadmap for future high-level consultations aimed at avoiding crises.
Erdogan traveled to Greece promising to pursue a "win-win" approach that could lay the foundation for broader cooperation.
"I believe that my visit, which took place in a very positive atmosphere, will open a new page in Turkey-Greece relations," Erdogan said.
Long-standing disputes have brought Athens and Ankara to the brink of war three times in the past 50 years.
The latest flare-up occurred in 2020, when Greek and Turkish navy ships faced each other in the eastern Mediterranean over a dispute over maritime boundaries and resource exploration rights.
Erdogan reportedly said he believed it was possible to fairly share natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean "as long as we build the foundations to ensure it, work out a roadmap and do not allow provocations."
The interpretation of Erdogan's soft stance in the current period
For us, Erdogan's soft stance and the operation of rapprochement with our country in the current period of time was expected, since for the first time in the last 50 years Turkey is so isolated and alienated from the West on a diplomatic level, with voices from the US even talking about Turkey's expulsion from NATO and Germany turning its back on the Eurofighter.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's moderate stance is interpreted as an attempt to re-engage with the West after recent disagreements over key foreign policy issues such as Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
At the same time, the Greek air superiority thanks to the F-16 Viper and RAFALE fighters over the aging Turkish one, in combination with the refusal of the US-Germany to approve the sale of the F-16 BLOCK-70 and Eurofighter to Turkey respectively, softened Erdogan even more, who realizes that he has only profit in the present phase by approaching Greece and that is why he made these "friendship openings" with our country.
Erdogan's opening up to energy smells of co-exploitation in the Aegean and SE Mediterranean
Erdogan's openness to energy cooperation by offering Greece the opportunity to benefit from the energy of the nuclear power plant to be built in Sinope, accompanied by a fair distribution of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, smacks of co-exploitation.
Erdogan's message is simple and specific.
The mutual claims of Greece and Turkey will not allow either state to proceed with exploitation.
Rather than chafing, we can coexploit them. Of course, if there is coexploitation of this type, there is no need for demarcation. That is where the message of 'kazan kazan' comes in.
In Erdogan's opinion, in such a case, both countries would be winners.
Erdogan's proposal explains the ideology of the "blue homeland".
This is a huge area which includes, in addition to Turkey's continental shelf, the EEZ of the whole of Cyprus and the continental shelves of Kastellorizo, Rhodes, Karpathos, Kasos and the eastern part of Crete.
In many of these areas Turkish claims are completely unreasonable in terms of international law.
Turkey is neither adjacent to these areas nor does it have a sea front. However, it mentions them because it is pursuing coexploitation.
Then the Aegean will take its turn.
