It’s not a 'family matter,' it’s Turkey’s business!..

The day before yesterday, the separatist terrorist organization PKK announced that it had convened its so-called congress in a "to be continued" fashion.

While dozens of questions needed to be answered—such as where they met, what conditions they set for "disarmament and laying down arms," and how and under what regulations the terrorist leader in Imralı participated in that meeting—Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who appeared on a television program that same evening, merely stated, "It is understood that we will be in a position to wait for a while longer to hear the organization's response to the historic call."

Meanwhile, while stating that the organization laying down its arms would not be enough and that illegal structures must also be dismantled, he made the following analogy:

"Just as political parties and non-governmental organizations operate in an accountable manner, organizations must also transition to this model."

In other words, he promoted the separatist terrorist organization to the level of a political party and NGO as of today!..

The importance and characteristic of Fidan is this: He is the architect of the negotiations with the PKK since Oslo. Since MIT (National Intelligence Organization) Chief İbrahim Kalın cannot speak, he should have been the one to answer all the questions on people's minds. However, what did he do after those general statements?

He stood up and revealed that 4-5 years ago, when he was the Undersecretary of MIT, he was subjected to an assassination attempt with "heavy arsenic and mercury."

It is unknown why he chose that day for this revelation, as if years and days had been thrown into a bag; but naturally, the assassination matter overshadowed the PKK's so-called congress, and this was discussed more.

The "Friend" Who Tramples on Lausanne

Since Minister Fidan has disclosed a very serious matter like an assassination, let us bring up a less important event.

It will be remembered; 10 days ago, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and his deputy Alexandra Papadopoulou came to Istanbul for a three-day private visit. Even the Greek media was surprised, writing, "The duration of the Istanbul visit is very long. Is Gerapetritis going to meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and have coffee?"

During his visit, which began on April 30, Gerapetritis went to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is a Turkish institution according to Lausanne, and the closed Halki Seminary, and met with the Greek community in Istanbul.

The important parts of the "private visit" were as follows:

He called Istanbul "Constantinople"... He used the "Ecumenical" title for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in a way contrary to Lausanne [https://muyesseryildiz.com/2025/04/20/su-yeni-roma-neresi-bilen-var-mi/]... He reported that they discussed the reopening of the Halki Seminary with Patriarch Bartholomew and said they would always be supporters of the Patriarchate...

In other words, he trampled on Lausanne from A to Z!..

The Revelation from Athens

Even if it was a "private visit," Hakan Fidan and George Gerapetritis, who address each other as "my precious friend" and "my dear friend," should have met in Ankara or Istanbul and at least had a coffee, right?

Surprisingly, such a meeting did not take place. Or rather, that is what we thought until May 6. Because neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor Fidan's social media account made any posts regarding the Greek Minister.

It turns out they did meet, but for some reason, our officials did not feel the need for the Turkish Nation to know or learn about it.

How so?

On May 6, the Greek newspaper To Vima organized a forum, and our state's Anadolu Agency also published a detailed report on the speech Gerapetritis gave there. The report stated that the Greek Foreign Minister praised Turkey's defense industry and said that "relations are much better than two years ago" and that "positive steps have been taken on issues such as trade relations and the Cyprus issue."

Yes, Gerapetritis said these things, but he also talked about other things.

For example; he emphasized that for Turkey's participation in the European defense structure, it must "show respect for the rules of international law and the integrity of allied states"...

Regarding Cyprus, he called it an "illegal occupation in 1974" and noted that it would not be possible for Turkey to join the European defense system if it advocates for the division of the Island...

What Private?.. General... General...

Let's get to the main part. The journalist asked the following:

"The other day, you had a dinner with your counterpart Hakan Fidan, which was described as private. As you know, these descriptions attract the attention of journalists. You did not talk about this subject. What did you discuss? Were there any difficult topics on the agenda where privacy could support a freer discussion?"

Gerapetritis first gave this response: [https://www.mfa.gr/synentefxi-ypourgou-exoterikon-giorgou-gerapetriti-sto-5o-forum-tou-oikonomikou-tachydromou-kai-stous-dimosiografous-alexandra-fotaki-kai-perikli-dimitrolopoulo-diefthynti-tis-efimeridas-to-vima-0/]

"Regarding the informal dinner; I think there are much more important issues that would stimulate a journalist's imagination. As you know, I was in Constantinople for an informal visit. I had the opportunity to make a series of contacts. I had the opportunity to personally visit the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Greek diaspora, the Roman institutions, the historic Halki Seminary, and make contact with important people."

We will skip the "Constantinople" and "Ecumenical Patriarch" expressions; it turns out they had an "informal dinner" with Fidan. And we can only learn this from a Greek journalist and the Minister!..

So what did they talk about?

Gerapetritis continued as follows:

"As you said, there was an invitation for an informal dinner with the Turkish Foreign Minister. In this meeting, as you can understand, beyond everything else, current issues, that is, issues related to international and regional matters, and furthermore, issues that pose common challenges for Greece and Turkey, were discussed. We discussed the Cyprus issue. I expressed in every way Greece's consistent position that no fait accompli should be created that would act as a deterrent to making substantial progress. We will have the opportunity to discuss the issues concerning our bilateral relations, that is, the determination of the next High-Level Council and other bilateral issues related to Political Dialogue and the Positive Agenda, in an official format in the coming weeks."

Look at our situation. Greece is the country with which we have the most problems; it has the US and the EU behind it, and it is surrounding Turkey step by step. Meanwhile, Greek journalists know that the two ministers met, they ask the Minister, and he answers in detail.

As for us, we are completely unaware, and the authorities do not feel the need to make any statement even after this meeting becomes known.

Although, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had clearly said this about the talks with Greece at a press conference in November:

"We prefer to handle all issues, including problems in the Aegean, issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, and issues regarding the Turkish minority, as a package. We prefer to handle them all together and, if possible, discuss them away from the public eye. We do not find it right for the issues to be overly politicized."

As is known; when the Turkic Republics appointed an ambassador to the Greek Cypriot administration in exchange for the EU's 12 billion Euro fund, Fidan had also said, "Some circles that want to spoil our relations want us to discuss this issue openly in public. We prefer, as a matter of principle, not to discuss family matters in front of the public."

What is it; are relations with Greece also considered a "family matter" that such an important meeting was hidden from the nation?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

May 11, 2025