Trump’s praise for Erdogan

US President Donald Trump attends a multilateral gathering with leaders of Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt United Arab of Emirates and Saudi Arabia, during the United Nations General Assembly, connected Sept. 23, 2025, successful New York. [Evan Vucci/AP]

First, there was the gathering that US President Donald Trump organized astatine the United Nations successful New York with Arab and Muslim leaders connected the situation successful Gaza, astatine which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was placed successful a salient position, astir arsenic a co-chairman with the American president.

This was followed two days aboriginal by the reception of the Turkish president successful the Oval Office. Last Monday came the ceremonial successful Sharm El-Sheikh and the Gaza bid agreement.

On each three occasions, Trump praised Erdogan successful the superlative degree. A very important leader: “[he] has 1 of the astir almighty armies, really successful the world… If you look astatine the caller conflicts, helium was astatine the top of them and helium was winning them. And helium doesn’t want immoderate credit, helium doesn’t want anything, helium conscionable wants to beryllium near alone. He’s a tough cookie, but he’s been my friend, and each clip I’ve ever needed him, he’s been there for me… helium ne'er fails us. He’s amazing.”

Although we should not spot the world done the prism of Greek-Turkish relations, inevitably the excessive cordiality that the American president shows for his Turkish counterpart cannot spell unnoticed successful Athens.

I bash not cognize what tangible results Erdogan has achieved so far, possibly not overmuch if 1 judges from the aftermath of the gathering astatine the White House. However, we indispensable show this narration with large attraction and determination successful a targeted mode some astatine the bilateral level of Athens and Washington, and astatine the multilateral, done our information successful determination groups that play a relation successful the Eastern Mediterranean.

The assistance of the Greek diaspora will beryllium needed here. Those Greek Americans who person entree to the White House, present is the clip to beryllium it successful practice. At the aforesaid time, the Greek beingness successful Congress remains noticeable and whitethorn beryllium upgraded successful the midterm elections adjacent November.

With the stakes going beyond specific individuals and governments, there is nary country for governmental games by those who saw “warm handshakes” betwixt Trump and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, nor for the others to slip into the casual but nationally unsafe disapproval of however Trump wholly “ignored” Mitsotakis during his speech. If helium astir ignored anyone, it was not Mitsotakis, but Greece. Any worrying improvement does not interest the specific premier minister, but the country.

In this context, though the writer was until precocious of the sentiment that a visit by Mitsotakis to the White House would not needfully service nationalist interests and should not beryllium a priority, developments are giving emergence to 2nd thoughts.

We request to strike a delicate equilibrium – fixed the narration betwixt Greece and Cyprus and Israel, arsenic well arsenic the invitation of the two countries to Sharm El-Sheikh – by highlighting our comparative advantages much strongly, successful adjacent practice with the Greek diaspora, which constitutes 1 of them.