Türkiye-Greece ties take off with vows for ‘mutual support’

Türkiye and Greece have agreed to mutually support each other’s various candidacies as bilateral relations thaw in the wake of the earthquakes in Türkiye and the train crash in Greece, the countries’ top diplomats said Monday.

“We continue our solidarity after the recent tragedies,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told reporters alongside his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.

Türkiye supports Greece’s candidacy for a nonpermanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-26 term, Çavuşoğlu said at a joint press briefing on the sidelines of the International Donors’ Conference in Brussels.

The conference aims to drum up millions of euros for the victims of the Feb. 6 tremors that killed nearly 50,000 people in Türkiye’s southeast and at least 6,000 more in neighboring Syria, marking the largest natural disaster in the region in years.

“We thank the Greek government and people for extending their support and solidarity after the earthquakes,” Çavuşoğlu remarked.

Greece was one of the first countries to offer aid to Türkiye while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was among the first leaders who called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to convey condolences and support for the Turkish state and nation.

“It was so kind of my colleague Dendias to visit Hatay, as well,” he said, referring to Dendias’ trip to Hatay in late February.

The Greek government has sent at least 80 tons of medical and first aid equipment. Thousands of Greeks have responded to calls for aid to quake-hit Türkiye, reviving memories of how a spontaneous outpouring of help after a similar disaster in 1999 brought the neighbors together when they seemed to be on the brink of war.

Officials on both sides have been hailing “a positive atmosphere” taking over bilateral relations between the sides since the tragedy struck, mostly aided by the outpouring of support and aid from Greek people and the welcome given by Turkish people to Greek rescuers.

While it’s unclear whether the breaking of ice could reach political levels, officials express it “should be considered for the normalization of ties."

Çavuşoğlu Monday too reiterated Ankara’s solidarity with Greece over the train crash that claimed at least 57 lives on Feb. 28, naming the transfer of Dimitrios Nalmpantis, the father of the Greek mechanic who was killed in the train accident, from a Turkish prison to Greece.

“Neither President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan nor I hesitated in approving Nalmpantis’ return to ensure he could attend his son’s funeral,” Çavuşoğlu noted. “This is a sign of trust between our nations.”

The Turkish diplomat praised the “positive” direction bilateral relations have recently taken, saying, “This positivity reflects on our cooperation in international relations, as well. This cooperation will continue on a global scale, which will affect our bilateral ties.”

Extending gratitude to his Greek counterpart, Çavuşoğlu said he was expecting to host Dendias in Ankara “again soon."

Meanwhile, Dendias thanked Çavuşoğlu for Nalmpantis’ extradition and noted that it was “a pleasure to meet Çavuşoğlu again.”

“Türkiye has also agreed to endorse our candidacy for the U.N. Security Council’s temporary presidency of the 2025-26 term and we thank them for their support,” he noted.

Greece too will support Türkiye’s candidacy for general secretariat of the International Maritime Organization, Dendias added.