Davutoglu In Athens To Discuss Cyprus Issue (& Hydrocarbons)

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu would arrive in Athens on Friday in order to participate in the Third Supreme Council of Cooperation with Greece. Sounds innocent enough, but a reports about the Turkish delegation's trip to Thrace had sparked a wide range of criticism over the past few days so to avoid any diplomatic problems, it was announced that Davutoglu is going to meet up with Muslim clerics and MPs from Thrace (in Athens perhaps).

(Oxi Giannis, Giannakis)

His visit comes at a time when there are increased tensions over energy deposits in the Mediterranean and as a result there are quite a few people who are opposed to his visit. To limit all possible complications, circulation will be limited in downtown Athens on Friday (and protests and marches have been prohibited).

Prior to the meetings, Davutoglu is set to meet with President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Press reports in Greece claim that Foreign Affairs Ministers Evangelos Venizelos and Melvut Cavusoglu are also going to attend these meetings as well.

The same sources speculate that the topic of discussion will center around the Cypriot dispute, but the recent developments in the Cyprus' EEZ, (where Ankara insists on carrying out hydrocarbon surveys), do not really make for the perfect setting, nor are they grounds to make analysts believe that something positive will come out of these talks.

It should be reminded that ahead of the talks Cavusoglu once again made it clear that Turkey is not going to withdraw the Barbaros survey vessel in Cyprus EEX so as to facilitate the resumption of talks as long as the government in Nicosia continues its search for oil and gas without the involvement of Turkish Cypriots.

     "Whenever the unilateral drilling activities will stop we will withdraw the Barbaros," he told the Kathimerini newspaper.

The talks are part of confidence-building measures launched in 2010 to improve relations between the Aegean neighbors. So far, some 50 accords on immigration, disaster response, tourism, health, transport, agriculture, immigration, culture and sport have been signed (but who knows if they have been respected). It is important to note that one of these accords is apparently going to be "re-evaluated" during the visit.