A new indication of improved relations,The Greek Prime Minister heads to Ankara on a goodwill visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will receive Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tomorrow, Monday, in Ankara, in a new indication of improved relations between the two NATO-member neighbors.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse that after decades of exchanging blame and tensions between Athens and Ankara, interspersed with short stages of reconciliation, this one-day visit that follows Erdogan’s visit to Greece last December “represents a new phase in relations between Turkey and Greece.” 

Last December, the two leaders signed a declaration on “friendship and good-neighborly relations between them, recognizing the importance of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.”

Mitsotakis's visit to Turkey comes against the backdrop of a new scandal in relations between the two countries over Turkey's decision to convert the ancient Orthodox Church of the Savior in Chora in Istanbul into a mosque.

his "deep dissatisfaction" days after his visit, saying that "there is no shortage of mosques in the city and this is not the way to deal with cultural heritage," recalling that Istanbul "was the capital of the Byzantine and Orthodox Empire for more than a thousand years." He confirmed that he would ask Erdogan to "rescind this decision."

However, this week in an interview with the Protothema newspaper, Mitsotakis stressed the need to “maintain open channels” with Ankara.