Greece and Turkey ‘yavaş yavaş’ rapprochement?

Dear Member,

This is our weekly round-up from Greece.

An important step towards the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey had been taken this week. Turkish President Erdogan visited Athens - and the two countries signed some 15 agreements. The ‘Sultan’ is admittedly unpredictable, yet this was a positive moment. Apart from the Greek FM caught on camera to… bow. 

A new law regarding ‘bad loans’ was passed this week. Despite mainstream media presenting it as favorable for debtors, it seems to give even more reasons to funds and servicers to prepare for a bigger party.

A policeman was severely injured and remains in a coma after an attack outside a venue where a volleyball game was taking place. It has been related to sports violence, yet the motives remain unclear. The police took some… 400 people to the station as a result. This reminded us of how the police don't always react to violence the same way.   

The Greeks & the “Sultan”   

It all went well. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, arrived in Athens on Thursday for the first time in six years, determined to move on with a “win-win approach” from the disputes and tensions left by his previous trip to the city.

A connotation of the Turkish leader's intention to take a constructive approach also became obvious in how he chose to address Greek PM Mitsotakis: “Kyriakos, my friend (Abre numa nova janela),” in an article the previous day of his visit.     

The 69-year-old leader, well-known for his unpredictable behavior, gave no unpleasant surprises to the Greek side this time. He even allowed himself to smile a few times, although he is famous for usually having a strict expression.