Mitsotakis Seeks to “Turn the Page” on Foreign Policy Fiasco: From New York to Copenhagen

After a dense five-day schedule of meetings in New York, Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned to Athens and will convene the Cabinet on Tuesday, before departing again for Copenhagen.

Although this trip had been planned in advance, the Prime Minister’s office is now seeking to use contacts in Copenhagen to cover up the New York fiasco, where Mitsotakis had very few high-level meetings, suffered a stinging rebuke from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and failed to improve relations with Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping a low profile regarding the postponed U.S. meeting, emphasizing that there will be a new opportunity for the two leaders to meet, even in Copenhagen, as Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis stated.

The Copenhagen trip:

The Prime Minister will participate in the Informal EU Summit (October 1) and the 6th European Political Community Summit (October 2), a forum bringing together all European countries, following Emmanuel Macron’s initiative in 2022.

Erdoğan is also invited to Copenhagen, though his attendance is uncertain, making it unlikely that a direct meeting with Mitsotakis can be scheduled.

Foreign policy in Parliament:

Next week, a special session will be held in Parliament, where Mitsotakis aims to highlight arms procurement programs and the revival of the domestic defense industry, downplaying recent failures such as:

• the New York fiasco
• complications at the Monastery of Sinai

At the same time, he will present the meeting with Libya’s Islamist president as a success and emphasize active foreign policy and Greece’s geoeconomic footprint, focusing on:

• maritime parks
• the start of hydrocarbon exploration within the EEZ with Egypt
• partnerships with major American companies, which are used as both a shield against Turkey and a platform to strengthen U.S. interests.