The war in Gaza and Greek-Turkish relations: Erdogan’s balancing act

A much-discussed question in Greece these days is: What impact is the war in Gaza having on Greek-Turkish relations? The good - and at first glance perhaps surprising - answer is that the war has not yet had any negative impact on bilateral relations, and it can be assumed that this will remain the case.

The roadmap agreed by Athens and Ankara, which is due to reach a preliminary climax with a new summit meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the beginning of December, is proceeding smoothly. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis recently praised the "exceptionally productive climate" of relations. Turkish diplomats are similarly positive.

Everything indicates that Athens and Ankara are interested in shielding the bilateral process of rapprochement from the turbulence of the war in their neighborhood. Whether this plan will last in the...