Clouds have gathered over the negotiations between Mitsotakis and Erdogan

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his regular monthly meeting with the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, focused on Turkey's provocative move to turn the Chora Monastery into a mosque.

During a visit to the presidential palace, Kyriakos Mitsotakis informed Katerina Sakellaropoulou about his trip to Turkey and the European elections. He expressed his displeasure over the conversion of Chora Monastery into a mosque, clearly stating that he would raise the issue with Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their one-on-one meeting next Monday in Ankara.

The Greek prime minister said the change was unnecessary and added that the move was an insult to Istanbul's rich history as a crossroads of cultures. At the same time, he emphasized that the channel of communication with Turkey remains open, even when we disagree with each other.

Speaking about the European elections, Mitsotakis noted “signs of strong polarization from other parties” ahead of the June vote. In conclusion, Mitsotakis said that one should stay away from the toxic climate, while noting that he fears that this wish will not be heeded.

The President of the Republic, in turn, agreed that it was necessary to maintain good relations with Turkey. She noted that turning the Chora Monastery into a mosque is not a good signal, since it is a cultural heritage site.

It was only a matter of time before Athens reacted to the conversion of the Chora monastery into a mosque. The consequences of this action are particularly troubling and come against the backdrop of the Hagia Sophia incident, while the confidence-building measures meetings between the two countries have laid the groundwork for positive developments.

The Greek government wants to set red lines from the start, just days before Mitsotakis' upcoming visit to Ankara. After all, this is a necessary condition for the Greek-Turkish dialogue with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to have a successful conclusion on May 13th.

At the same time, there is a sharp reaction to Turkish provocations within the country. PASOK President Nikos Androulakis, speaking on the occasion of the transformation of Chora Monastery into a mosque, said: “As long as they fool around with the Sultan, the results will be like this,” and also spoke out about the Prime Minister’s downplaying of the significance of Turkish provocations.

Yesterday, SYRIZA issued a statement in which it unequivocally condemned the decision of the Turkish authorities to open a Muslim mosque in the Chora Monastery, and also criticized “sluggish” reaction from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Apologetic, accommodating, lukewarm, the Foreign Ministry’s response to Erdogan’s new challenge to turn the Chora monastery into a mosque, following Hagia Sophia, shows the kind of foreign policy the government is pursuing towards Turkey.”

“The recent provocations of the Turkish government, with a series of navigators linking areas of the Aegean Sea, the reaction to the creation of marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, and the latest case of turning the Chora Monastery in Istanbul, a cultural heritage site, into a mosque, expose those who systematically cultivates complacency about “calm waters” in Greek-Turkish relations.”says the KKE commentary.

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