The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been scheduled for 3:00 PM tomorrow (July 7), according to Turkish media reports. The U.S. President is expected to arrive in Ankara early tomorrow to attend the NATO summit session. Greek diplomacy is closely monitoring the American President’s contacts with Turkish leadership and is waiting to see whether he will follow through on the announcements he made from the Oval Office about rewarding his “friend” with “gifts.”
These remarks have triggered skepticism in Athens and fierce backlash from the Greek-American community, which has been mounting a campaign to block the presidential announcement regarding the supply of Turkey with engines for the KAAN fighter jets, as well as Turkey’s potential reinstatement into the F-35 program.
“The concept of the ‘Blue Homeland’ is a core pillar of Turkey’s foreign policy, security, and development strategy”
At the same time, just one day before the opening of the NATO summit, Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay — who participates in the “Positive Dialogue” between Greece and Turkey — stirred tensions with provocative statements that poured fuel on the fire of Greek-Turkish relations. Speaking at the 5th Turkey Maritime Summit, he stated: “The ‘Blue Homeland’ is a strategic vision of Turkish foreign policy and security. The concept of the ‘Blue Homeland’ is a core pillar of Turkey’s foreign policy, security, and development strategy.”
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay further argued that “today, control of land alone is no longer sufficient. Whoever can effectively manage the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Cyprus, and major ports can also steer the global trade connectivity network. The concept of the ‘Blue Homeland’ is a vision aimed at protecting not only the rights and interests of the current generation, but of future generations as well. This concept has significantly raised public awareness and has made a substantial contribution to Turkey’s maritime power.”
Against this backdrop, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to arrive in Ankara tomorrow for the NATO summit, while it remains unknown at this stage whether a one-on-one meeting with the Turkish President will take place.
