ANKARA, Turkey—Turkey’s relations with Greece and Armenia have long been characterized by mutual animosity. However, the twin earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, which left tens of thousands dead and caused widespread destruction, have led to an outpouring of solidarity from both Athens and Yerevan.
The expressions of solidarity—which have included aid shipments and volunteer rescue teams—could pave the way for diplomatic breakthroughs with two of Turkey’s historical foes, according to Turkish political analyst Talha Kose.
“The high levels of solidarity we’ve seen from both Greece and Armenia could have a positive impact on the diplomatic tracks with both countries,” Kose, who specializes in regional conflicts, told The Epoch Times.
“This has been a painful experience for Turkey,” he added, “but it may serve to foster a more positive atmosphere and a new era of understanding.”
Greeks Bearing Gifts
Turkey and Greece, which are fellow members of NATO, have long been at odds on a range of issues, including maritime rights in the Aegean Sea and the ethnically divided island of Cyprus.In recent months, Athens and Ankara have each accused the other of violating maritime treaties and committing various acts of “provocation.”
But the simmering tensions didn’t stop Greece from sending humanitarian aid to quake-hit southern Turkey, where the death toll from the Feb. 6 disaster has topped 36,000.
The day after the twin quakes, which measured 7.7 and 7.6 in magnitude, struck, Greece was one of the first countries to send aid-laden planes to the region.
Last weekend, a 35-member team of Greek volunteers arrived in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, the epicenter of the earthquakes, to assist with ongoing search-and-rescue efforts.
On Feb. 12, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited Turkey’s quake-hit Hatay province to express condolences and survey the devastation. He was the first high-ranking European official to visit Turkey after the quakes.
At a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Dendias described the destruction he witnessed in Hatay as “devastating.” Cavusoglu, for his part, said Athens and Ankara “shouldn’t wait for another earthquake before mending relations.”
According to Kose, a professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, there has been “mounting tension” in recent months between the longstanding Aegean rivals.
“But since the earthquakes, we’ve seen high levels of support coming from Greece, which has been widely covered in the Turkish media,” Kose said.
“The Greek media, too, has shown considerable empathy for Turkey in its coverage of the disaster,” he added. “This is very important in terms of changing the popular mindset.”
Kose believes that the expressions of solidarity emanating from Athens could yield a “significant change” in bilateral relations, “not only between political leaders but between the people of both countries.”
‘Tectonic Shift’ in Turkey–Armenia Ties
Armenia has also sent aid and rescue workers to quake-affected regions of southern Turkey, despite historical animosities between the two neighbors that date to the Ottoman Empire.Formal relations between Ankara and Yerevan have been frozen since 1993. Nevertheless, Armenia was quick to dispatch a 28-member team to help rescue efforts in Turkey’s Adiyaman province.
“Shoulder-to-shoulder with AFAD [Turkey’s disaster management agency], the Armenian relief team rescued an eight-year-old girl alive in Adiyaman,” Garo Paylan, a Turkish parliamentarian of Armenian descent, posted on Twitter on Feb. 11.
He added, “Solidarity saves lives!”
What’s more, in the immediate wake of the quakes, the Turkey–Armenia border was opened—for the first time in 35 years—to allow an Armenian aid convoy to bring critical aid for quake survivors.
In 1988, the same border crossing was used to send aid in the opposite direction after Armenia, which was still a Soviet republic, was rocked by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake.
“Turkey sent aid to Armenia after the 1988 quake, despite ongoing tensions between the two countries,” Kose said.
Turkey–Armenia ties have been hindered for decades by Ankara’s steadfast support for Azerbaijan, Armenia’s perennial enemy in the Caucasus region. In 2020, Turkey supported Azerbaijan in a six-week war with Armenia over the flashpoint Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Since then, however, Ankara and Yerevan have taken tentative steps to normalize relations.
In March of 2022, Cavusoglu met his Armenian counterpart in the Turkish city of Antalya. It was the first visit to Turkey by a top Armenian official in more than a decade.
“A Turkey–Armenia normalization process has already started,” Kose said. “But Armenia and Azerbaijan still haven’t worked out a sustainable ceasefire, and this is slowing down Turkey-Armenia normalization efforts.”
Nevertheless, Kose voiced hope that the goodwill seen in the wake of the quakes would lend fresh impetus to the prospects for reconciliation.
“I don’t know if it will lead to any major agreements or end longstanding differences, but it has certainly generated a new diplomatic language and fostered greater engagement in both countries,” he said.
“These kinds of tectonic shifts can also lead to shifts in the diplomatic arena.”
On Feb. 11, Serdar Kilic, Ankara’s special envoy for the normalization process, posted on Twitter, “I will never forget the generous aid sent by the people of Armenia to help alleviate the sufferings of our people.”
