evidence: And, critically, Turkey has used disaster diplomacy on several notable occasions to establish diplomatic breakthroughs. For example, in 1999, earthquakes struck Turkey (close to Istanbul) and Greece (near Athens) less than a month apart. The shared tragedy ushered in a positive atmosphere and an era of unprecedented calm in bilateral relations only three years after the two sides were on the brink of war in the Imia/Kardak crisis. In the aftermath of Turkey’s tragedy this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a phone call, their first in almost a year as tensions have been running high in the Aegean. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias also visited the affected region over the weekend, one of the highest-level foreign officials to visit so far.