Greece, Turkey seek closer ties with Erdogan visit, but no quick fixes

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make a historic visit to Greece this week, a sign that relations between the two countries are improving, although a long list of grievances remains on both sides.

Erdogan visited Greece as prime minister, in 2004 and 2010, but he will be the first Turkish head of state to visit Athens since Celal Bayar in 1952. He is also scheduled to visit Thrace in northern Greece, home to a large Muslim community.

Greece and Turkey came to the brink of war as recently as 1996, but tensions have eased since. The two now cooperate in a deal brokered between Ankara and the European Union on stemming mass migration to Europe through Greece.

Turkey's ties with some other European Union governments are strained, however, so Erdogan's visit on Dec. 7-8 will be important for Athens. It will help to ensure that communication...