THESSALONIKI – The waters between Greece and Turkey have been calm during a period of rapprochement but Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he’s on guard because he believes Turkey hasn’t changed its designs on Greek territory.

“I have never been under any illusions about the challenges of engaging with Turkey. I clearly recognize that the core of Turkish revisionism remains unchanged. The ‘Blue Homeland’ (foreign policy doctrine) remains a significant challenge to our country’s sovereign rights,” Mitsotakis said.

That was during a press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) ahead of meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later in September at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

There he said he would again raise with Erdogan the question of Turkey continuing to press the doctrine that has included maps claiming Greek islands and swathes of the Aegean Sea and Continental Shelf.

“This is an issue I will persistently raise with Erdogan, as it is a major obstacle in resolving our key dispute over the delineation of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone,” said Mitsotakis.

Before returning to diplomacy as part of a bid to renew Turkey’s hopes of joining the European Union – which have stalled for 19 years under his autocratic rule – Erdogan had threatened to invade Greece.

Turkey also had sent warships and energy research ships off Greek islands and repeatedly violated Greek airspace with F-16 fighter jets with Erdogan saying that  it would be a cause for war if Greece doubled its maritime boundaries to 12 miles.

While the two sides are talking about some issues – excluding Cyprus where Turkish-Cypriots are occupying the northern third of the island – the major differences between them remain unresolved.