Revisiting Greek-Turkish ties 20 years ago

The following conversation with Petros Molyviatis may have taken place 20 years ago, but it could just as well have been yesterday. This is not only because the agenda of Greek-Turkish relations has been shaped since the 1970s, with the fundamental differences that emerged back then remaining unbridged - and Turkey persistently adding new ones. It is also because the veteran diplomat, now aged 96, has always had a way of analyzing situations that stands the test of time.

The former foreign minister, who served under the conservative government of Kostas Karamanlis in 2004-2006 and in two caretaker cabinets during the Greek crisis, in 2012 and 2015, has been actively involved in Greek-Turkish affairs since 1956, when he joined the Diplomatic Corps.

Much of his career was spent alongside Konstantinos Karamanlis. In the following discussion, he revealed behind-the-scenes...