Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın's secret Athens visit sparks political outcry

The opposition party SYRIZA has demanded explanations from the Mitsotakis government regarding a highly secretive visit to Athens by the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), İbrahim Kalın.

Reports indicate that Kalın, described as a special envoy for President Erdoğan, held meetings with the head of the Greek Intelligence Service (EYP), Themistoklis Demiris, and other officials in the capital. SYRIZA has raised several questions concerning the nature of these discussions, the lack of notification to Parliament and the opposition, and whether the meetings addressed Turkey’s ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine or other regional tensions.

The opposition criticized the use of ‘secret diplomacy,’ drawing parallels to the 2020 Berlin agreement involving former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and called for a more cohesive national strategy regarding Turkey.