MİT President İbrahim Kalın met with Themistoklis Demiris, head of Greece’s National Intelligence Service, in Athens last week. The meeting covered Türkiye-Greece relations, the Aegean and the Western Mediterranean, NATO security, and regional developments.
Kalın and Demiris agreed to increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime and to strengthen close coordination between the intelligence services. The meeting also addressed irregular migration, human trafficking, Syria, Libya, Palestine, and Israel’s attacks in the region.
Why it matters
The contact shows that Türkiye-Greece relations are placing emphasis not only on political channels but also on direct communication between security institutions. Addressing terrorism, organized crime, irregular migration, and human trafficking within the same framework indicates that the two countries view shared risks as interconnected security issues. The inclusion of the Aegean and the Western Mediterranean, along with NATO security, demonstrates that the cooperation has a regional dimension extending beyond bilateral relations. However, it remains unclear through which concrete working methods the announced agreement will be sustained and how the assessments concerning Syria, Libya, Palestine, and Israel will be reflected in practice.