The visit is part of a new round of so-called “earthquake diplomacy” between the two countries, whose relations have often been frosty, if not outright hostile.
A similar incident occurred in 1999, three years after the two countries fought a war over two uninhabited islands in the Aegean Sea.
In August 1999, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
The following month, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Greek capital, Athens, killing 143 people.
In both cases, the two countries sent rescue teams to exchange aid, and the warming of bilateral relations was widely covered in the international media.
old letter
Cavusoglu recalled a letter he, as an ordinary citizen, sent to Time magazine at the time. “At that time, I said we should not wait for another earthquake to improve our relations. I repeat this now as Turkey’s foreign minister… We must make efforts to improve our relations,” he said.
Dendias later said, “I want to fully share what Mevlut (Cavusoglu) said: We should not wait for natural disasters to improve our relations.”
bulk disagreements
The two countries disagree about the search for natural resources in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey also accused Greece of militarizing some of the sea islands, in violation of international treaties, a charge that Greece strongly denied.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan frequently threatened Greece that Turkish forces would come “suddenly one night,” and stated that the new Turkish “Tayfon” missiles could reach Athens.
Such rhetoric has been set aside, at least for the time being, as Erdoğan spoke by phone to Greece’s President, Katrina Sakellaropoulou, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The two Greek officials called Erdogan to express their condolences for the earthquake victims and to confirm Greece’s support for his country in this disaster.
Meanwhile, Greek unions took the lead in collecting aid for those affected, and at all sporting events held on Saturday, a minute’s silence was observed for the victims.
For his part, Cavusoglu especially thanked the Greek rescuers for their “superhuman efforts, around the clock, over the past week”.
The Turkish Foreign Minister added, “We noticed that all Greeks, not only the rescue personnel, rejoiced after each rescue operation… good neighborly relations appear in those difficult days.”
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