Visit of the Greek Foreign Minister to the regions of Turkey affected by the earthquake

ATHENS (AP) — Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias traveled to quake-affected regions of Turkey on Sunday, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is part of a “seismic diplomacy” between the two neighbors, whose relations have sometimes been strained or even hostile. Something similar happened in 1999, three years after the two countries nearly went to war over two uninhabited islands in the Aegean Sea.

In August 1999, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Turkey, killing an estimated 18,000 people; The following month, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Greek capital, killing an estimated 143 people. In both cases, the two countries sent relief units to each other.

Cavusoglu recalled that back then, when he was a private citizen, he sent a letter to TIME magazine.

“I then said that we should not wait for another earthquake to improve our relations. I repeat it now, as Foreign Minister of Turkey. We have to make efforts to improve our relations,” Cavusoglu said.

“I want to fully ratify what Mevlut said: that we shouldn’t wait for natural disasters to improve our relations,” Dendias later said.

The two countries are at odds over the search for natural resources in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Turkey also accuses Greece of militarizing some Aegean islands, in violation of international treaties, a charge Greece categorically denies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently threatened Greece that Turkish troops will “suddenly come one night” and indicated that Turkey’s new Tayfun missiles are capable of hitting Athens.

At least for now, such rhetoric has been pushed aside. Erdogan spoke by phone with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with whom he had sworn never to speak again. The two Greek officials called Erdogan to express their condolences to the earthquake victims and assure him that he had Greece’s support.