Greece’s Tsipras Visits Hagia Sophia to Strengthen Ties with Turkey, Reports Reuters

By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made a significant visit to Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia on Wednesday, aimed at fostering improved relations with Turkey, which have long been strained due to territorial disputes, energy exploration, and issues surrounding Cyprus.

During his trip, Tsipras met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. Erdogan expressed hopes for increased cooperation with Greece regarding the repatriation of eight soldiers who fled to Greece after a failed coup attempt in 2016.

At their joint news conference, Tsipras emphasized that while Greece does not support coup plotters, the matter concerning the eight soldiers is one for the judiciary to decide. He also highlighted the agreement between both nations to reduce tensions in the Aegean Sea and pursue confidence-building measures, asserting that disagreements with Turkey "can and must be solved with dialogue."

Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin accompanied Tsipras on his visit to Hagia Sophia, which served as a prominent cathedral for 900 years before becoming one of the most significant mosques for an additional 500 years. It has operated as a museum since 1935.

Tsipras is scheduled to visit an island near Istanbul for a mass at the Orthodox Halki theological school, which was a key scholarly center until its closure by the Turkish state in 1971. The ongoing refusal by Turkey to reopen the school remains a contentious issue. Additionally, Tsipras will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, and representatives of the Greek community in Istanbul.

Tensions between Greece and Turkey are also fueled by the divided island of Cyprus, which was split following a Turkish invasion in 1974 that was prompted by a short-lived Greek-inspired coup. U.N.-led peace negotiations between the Greek and Turkish sides broke down in 2017.

Both Greece and Turkey, as NATO allies, came close to military conflict as recently as 1996 over an uninhabited islet in the Aegean.

On Tuesday, Turkey expanded its list of former military officers sought for their alleged involvement in the 2016 coup attempt to include the eight officers who have been granted asylum in Greece, offering a bounty of 4 million Turkish lira for each.