The tremor took place less than a month after a Turkish disaster which was much larger in scale . This succession of earthquakes and mutual help of both countries gave rise to talks about what became known as the " Greek-Turkish earthquake diplomacy " , in hopes for a breakthrough in bilateral relations , which had been marred by decades of hostility . Turkey reciprocated the aid rendered by Greece immediately following the August 17 , 1999 Turkish earthquake . A special taskforce was formed , consisting of the Undersecretariat of the Prime Ministry , the Turkish Armed Forces , the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Internal Affairs and the Greek Embassy in Ankara was contacted . The Turkish aid was the first to arrive in the affected areas , with the first 20-person rescue team arriving in Athens within 13 hours after the earthquake struck . The Greek consulates and the embassy in Turkey had their phone lines jammed with Turkish citizens offering blood donations
Turkish disaster which was much larger in scale
1999 İzmit earthquake
1999 Athens earthquake