Erdoğan–Mitsotakis Meeting: Signed Declaration Omits Turkish Minority Reference Raised Publicly
By Bosphorus News Staff
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Ankara on 11 February 2026 for the 6th High Level Cooperation Council between Türkiye and Greece, signing a Joint Declaration and a series of sectoral agreements.
The text released by the Greek Prime Minister’s office is structured around technical cooperation, trade expansion and institutional mechanisms. It does not contain language on Western Thrace minority issues that Erdoğan publicly raised during the joint press appearance and that were carried by TRT. That omission marks a clear distinction between the formal bilateral document and the themes highlighted in Türkiye’s public remarks.
A Technical, Economy-Focused Text
The Joint Declaration reaffirmed the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighbourliness signed on 7 December 2023 and committed both sides to maintaining dialogue and avoiding escalation.
It set a target of raising bilateral trade volume to 10 billion US dollars by the end of the decade and called for intensified engagement between business communities through the existing joint business council.
The declaration welcomed the continuation of a temporary short-stay visa scheme allowing Turkish nationals to visit twelve Greek islands and noted cooperation on irregular migration, including through a trilateral mechanism with Bulgaria.
Both sides underlined cooperation against terrorism and organized crime. Energy cooperation was framed around electricity interconnection and renewable energy, while emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, digitalisation and science and technology collaboration were also referenced.
On infrastructure, the leaders reviewed progress toward a second cross-border bridge between Kipi and İpsala under a 2006 agreement, alongside broader efforts to modernise road and rail corridors. They agreed to deepen cooperation on the Meriç/Evros river and to reactivate a joint committee referenced in a declaration dated 14 May 2010.
The declaration further reaffirmed cooperation within NATO ahead of the summit scheduled to be held in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026.
What Erdoğan Said Publicly
At the joint press appearance in Ankara, Erdoğan described disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean as complex but “not insoluble on the basis of international law,” adding that progress would depend on “good faith, constructive dialogue and the will to resolve.”
He also referred to expectations regarding religious freedoms and educational matters concerning the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.
On regional developments, Erdoğan said the leaders discussed Gaza and broader Middle East issues and reiterated Türkiye’s rejection of what he described as Israel’s recent steps aimed at expanding control in the West Bank and weakening the Palestinian administration.
According to information released after the meeting, memoranda and declarations signed during the council session covered investment promotion, maritime trade links including planned Ro-Ro services between İzmir and Thessaloniki, cooperation within the Black Sea Economic Cooperation framework, earthquake preparedness, cultural cooperation and a joint declaration of intent on science and technology collaboration.
The Text–Statement Gap
The Western Thrace minority issue and Erdoğan’s detailed remarks on Israel and Gaza do not appear in the Greek-published Joint Declaration.
The formal document confines itself to economic targets, migration management, infrastructure, energy and institutional cooperation. References to minority matters remain part of Türkiye’s public remarks but are absent from the signed bilateral text.
In the official document released after the meeting, the minority issue is absent.