The meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday led to an agreement not to allow tensions to escalate going forward, government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni said on Tuesday.
![[Shutterstock]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/eu_council_summit_-_shutterstock-320x200.jpg)
The delicate balancing act in tense EU-Turkish relations continues ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels on June 24-25, as evidenced by the draft conclusions of the meeting that have been seen by Kathimerini.
Lena Argiri, the DC Correspondent for ERT – the Greek Public Broadcasting Company, joins The Greek Current to discuss President Biden’s meeting with Turkey’s President Erdogan, the meeting between Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Erdogan, and the key takeaways from Monday’s NATO summit.
![urkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the NATO summit, in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. [Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Mitsotakis_Erdogan_NATO_reuters-1-320x200.jpg)
In a 50-minute meeting described by Greek sources as an “ice breaker,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to a joint understanding on Monday that 2020 tensions should not be repeated in 2021, while noting at the same time that the big differences between the two NATO members remain.
![Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the NATO summit, in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. [Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Mitsotakis_Erdogan_NATO_reuters-320x200.jpg)
Monday’s meeting was different. In contrast to the two previous ones – in September and December 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and the NATO anniversary summit, respectively – this time, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were alone, without delegations, even though their foreign and defense ministers were in Brussels at the time.
![[Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/erdogan-nato-reuters-320x200.jpg)
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he agreed at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to continue using channels for dialogue between the two countries.
![[Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/macron-erdogan-france-turkey-REUTERS-1-320x200.jpg)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said he had received assurances from Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan that he wanted foreign mercenaries to leave Libyan territory as soon as possible.
The Turkish economy will grow 5.8% this year and return to a lower trend from 2022 onward, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.
The meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erogan in Brussels on the sidelines of the NATO Summit “broke the ice” between the two countries, Greek government sources said on Monday afternoon, in a first assessment of the talks.
![Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan arrives at a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. [Francois Mori/Pool via Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Erdogan_reuters-320x200.jpg)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is vying to mend Turkey’s battered relations with its Western partners, said Monday that a revival of dialogue with fellow NATO member Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve “stability and prosperity” in the region.
![[Screen grab from TV footage by state-run broadcaster ERT]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Mitsotakis_Erdogan_ERT_footage-320x200.jpg)
A scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erogan in Brussels, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, got underway on Monday afternoon.
![[Reuters]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/erdogan_reuters-1-320x200.jpg)
The Greek-Turkish summit coincides with the Biden-Erdogan meeting, which will also take place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Brussels.
The coming days will be crucial for Turkey’s international and regional role.
US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will discuss problematic bilateral ties on Monday including Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, but there is little hope they will resolve any of several disputes that divide NATO.
Greek-Turkish relations are emerging from a period of deep crisis, perhaps the deepest in recent years.
Turkish patrol boats harassed Greek coast guard vessels in two separate incidents off the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos over the weekend, reports said Monday.
