Earthquake diplomacy: Greek foreign minister visits Turkey

Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias visited the earthquake-stricken areas of Turkey Sunday, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The visit was part of a new round of so-called “earthquake diplomacy” between the two uneasy allies, whose relations have often been frosty, if not downright hostile. Something similar happened in 1999, three years after the two countries almost went to war over two uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea.
In August 1999, a 7.6 magnitude tremor had struck Turkey, resulting in about 18,000 dead; the following month, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Greek, capital, Athens, killing 143 people. In both cases, the two countries sent rescuers to assist in each other’s efforts. The warming of bilateral relations had been widely covered in the international media.
Cavusoglu recalled a letter that he, as a private citizen, had sent to TIME magazine at the time.