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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TURKEY GREECE SUMMIT
HEADLINE: Turkey-Greece Summit Aims to Resolve Long-Standing Tensions
TEASER: Territorial and other issues brought the NATO neighbors to the brink of war, and now they’re talking
PUBLISHED AT: (12/5/23 & 1:52p)
BYLINE: Dorian Jones
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Istanbul
VIDEOGRAPHER: Berke Bas DO NOT USE FOR SECURITY REASONS.
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): ORIGINAL, AGENCIES, AFP, REUTERS, VOA MEMET AKSAKAL
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:06
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE:
UPDATE: DO NOT USE BERKE BAS NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS.))
((INTRO))
[[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Greece Thursday for a summit with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The meeting comes after years of tensions that brought them to the brink of war. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.]]
((NARRATOR))
After years of rising tensions over territorial disputes in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, where vast energy reserves are believed to exist, and the decades-long partition of Cyprus between Greek and Turkish communities, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's summit with Greek Prime Minster Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens Thursday offers an opportunity of rapprochement, observers say.
[[RADIO VERSION: Political scientist Ioannis Grigoriadis of Bilkent University in Ankara:]]
((Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Bilkent University Political Scientist ((MALE IN ENGLISH)) ((Zoom))
“In the last few months. We're having something of a detente, but we don't have a rapprochement yet. So, I think what is the interesting thing to observe in the upcoming visit of the Turkish president to Greece is whether the two sides are willing and able to turn the detente into a rapprochement process.
((NARRATOR))
Natural disasters suffered by both countries broke the cycle of bilateral tensions, with Athens sending aid to Turkey after February's deadly earthquakes and Ankara reciprocating in Greece's battle against deadly wildfires. But analysts warn mutual distrust remains, meaning the summit will likely focus on shared interests.
[[RADIO VERSION: That’s the assessment of Alexis Heraclides of Athens Panteion University who, like others, reacted with surprise to the news of the summit, and the positive tone on both sides going in.]]
((Alexis Heraclides, Panteion University Political Scientist (MALE IN ENGLISH))) ((Zoom))
“Low politics, you know, enhanced trade, enhanced investment either way, and tourism, nothing else.”
((NARRATOR))
Erdogan's presidential jet will be carrying a delegation of around 200 ministers, diplomats, and businessmen, a sign of both sides’ intent to pursue trade and enhanced bilateral cooperation that observers say can help to build trust, paving the way to addressing core disputes.
[[RADIO VERSION: Berkay Mandiraci is a senior Turkey analyst for the International Crisis Group.]]
((Berkay Mandiraci, International Crisis Group (MALE IN ENGLISH))) ((Zoom))
"More cooperation on these areas of mutual interest is eventually going to lead to a new round of talks on the Aegean dispute and also potentially new talks on more thorny issues between the two sides. But I think it's still a wait-and-see situation."
(((NARRATOR))
But the Greek and Turkish militaries are rearming, with many of the deployments in the contested Aegean Sea, and Cyprus is still divided.
Analysts warn recent world events provide a lesson on why it’s better to ease tensions rather than let them escalate.
[[RADIO VERSION: Political scientist Ioannis Grigoriadis:]]
((Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Bilkent University Political Scientist ((MALE IN ENGLISH)) ((Zoom))
“The experience of Ukraine or Gaza shows us that keeping a conflict frozen is not always a wise solution because then the conflict can get violent and heated in a very unprecedented way.”
((NARRATOR))
Elections have scuttled previous rapprochement efforts as political parties in both countries stoked anti-Greek and anti-Turk sentiments their bids to court nationalist voters.
But this year saw Mitsotakis and Erdogan re-elected with solid mandates and no national elections scheduled for another four years. Observers say that gives a rare opportunity to set bad feelings aside and work toward reconciliation.
((Dorian Jones, VOA News, Istanbul))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateDecember 5, 2023 14:33 EST
BylineDorian Jones
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English, US Agency for Global Media
