A historic opportunity
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Greece this week. His visit is historically significant and could play a part in easing some of the tension in relations between the two countries.
Erdogan’s trip, during which he will meet with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, is an opportunity for both sides to tone down their rhetoric and to isolate extreme voices in both countries that like to foment discord at any opportunity.
There will, of course, have to be some level of consensus during the powerful leader’s stay in the country if we are to avoid any misunderstandings. These are always a risk in the difficult relationship between the two neighbors.
Both countries are doomed by geography to coexist. The issue at hand is developing a framework of mutual respect and trust that will allow Greece and Turkey to coexist peacefully in a perilous neighborhood and an uncertain international climate.
