The principles of Greek-Turkish talks

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday raises concerns. One concern has to do with Erdogan's visit to Greece in December 2017, which was a diplomatic flop for Athens. Nevertheless, there are certain principles which have permeated bilateral ties between Athens and Ankara in the years following the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974.

1. Dialogue is necessary: When PASOK came to power in 1981, it did not want dialogue. It was Greece's decision to terminate the (seriously problematic) meetings between the foreign ministry general secretaries of Greece and Turkey. Subsequently, as a condition for talks, Athens stated that Ankara must stop the violations of Greek airspace by Turkish fighter jets. Turkey's recognition of the breakaway state in occupied northern Cyprus dealt the final blow to further contacts between...