"No problem between us that is unsolvable"
The dispute between Ankara and Athens has dominated for years: Cyprus, border demarcations, natural resources. For some time now, however, the two countries have been moving closer together again and now want to step up the pace considerably. Erdogan and Mitsotakis choose big words at a meeting.
Greece and Turkey want to improve their strained relations. "Geography and history have dictated that we live in the same neighborhood ... occasionally in confrontation," said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "But I feel a historic responsibility to use this opportunity to bring the two states side by side, as our borders are," he added. "There is no problem between us that is unsolvable," Erdogan emphasized. In future, such a meeting is to be held annually.
At the start of his first official visit to Athens since 2017, Erdogan expressed his conviction that a "new era" was now beginning. "We must be optimistic, and this optimism will bear fruit in the future," he added at a meeting with his Greek counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Cooperation is to be expanded in areas such as tourism, trade and energy, as well as migration, technology and education. This was agreed in parallel by numerous ministers from both countries. Among other things, the volume of trade between the two NATO members is to double to ten billion US dollars (around 9.3 billion euros) over the next five years. In future, Turkish citizens want to be able to obtain one-week visas to go on vacation to ten Greek islands near the Turkish coast without any problems. The EU has already approved this.
Earthquake aid eases tensions
There are still major disagreements over sovereign rights in the Aegean and the right to mine resources such as natural gas under the seabed, among other things. Mitsotakis said that it was hoped that these issues could also be overcome. Last year, Erdogan struck a sharp tone and accused Athens of occupying islands in the Aegean. "We could suddenly come one night", he threatened at the time. The two countries have also been at odds for years over the divided island of Cyprus, where the Turkish army continues to occupy the northern part of the island.
In the 1990s, the two countries were even on the brink of war. Relations improved after Greece sent aid to Turkey following a devastating earthquake in February. Erdogan had previously called Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis "my friend" in a Greek newspaper interview. After Erdogan and Mitsotakis were re-elected this year, both declared that they wanted to put their rivalry aside. Since his re-election, the Turkish president has been trying to improve relations with EU states such as Germany. One obstacle to this has been the tensions with the EU countries Greece and Cyprus.
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Diplomatic efforts continue to strengthen the relationship between Greece and Turkey. Following their meeting, both Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation in various sectors, including tourism, trade, energy, migration, technology, and education.
The recent tensions between the two countries over sovereign rights and natural resources have not been fully resolved, but Erdogan and Mitsotakis expressed hope for progress, hinting at the potential resolution of these disputes.
Source: www.ntv.de
