Nikos Dendias, the foreign minister of Greece, and Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, went to the earthquake-stricken regions of Turkiye on Sunday.
The trip was a part of renewed “seismic diplomacy” between the two uneasy friends, whose interactions have frequently been chilly, if not outright hostile. Three years after the two nations nearly started a war over two uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, something similar occurred in 1999.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkiye in August 1999 left nearly 18,000 people dead; the following month, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the Greek city of Athens left 143 people dead. The two nations sent rescuers to aid in each other’s efforts in both circumstances. The thawing of bilateral ties had received extensive coverage in the international press.
Cavusoglu thought back to a letter he had written at the time to TIME magazine as a private person.
“At the time, I advised against waiting for another earthquake to mend our relationships. As the foreign minister of Turkiye, I reiterate this. We must work to strengthen our bonds, Cavusoglu stated.
