Turkish president hopes the NATO allies and neighbours will mend relations despite deep-rooted differences.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Greece in an effort to mend strained relations between the neighbouring NATO allies and open what he called a “new era” in relations after years of hostility.

Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, overflights of the Aegean Sea, and ethnically split Cyprus.

On Thursday, the two countries signed a joint declaration to pursue good neighbourly relations.

“Geography and history have dictated that we live in the same neighbourhood … occasionally in confrontation. But I feel a historical responsibility to utilise this opportunity to bring the two states side by side, just as our borders are,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after meeting Erdogan.

Earlier, Erdogan told Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou: “I believe that the Turkey-Greece strategic cooperation meeting will lead to a new era” in relations, adding that “we need to be optimistic, and this optimism will be fruitful in the future”.

“It will be much more beneficial for the future if we look at things from a glass half-full perspective,” Erdogan said.

“If we consider what is happening around us, it is necessary probably more than ever that Greece and Turkey work jointly to reinforce prosperity, safeguard peace and stability and respect for international law,” Sakellaropoulou replied.

Erdogan said he aimed to nearly double bilateral trade volume to $10bn (9.3 billion euros) from $5.5bn currently.

Greece and the European Union also hope to update their 2016 migration deal with Ankara.

Greek Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis this week said the two countries’ coastguards had been cooperating smoothly on migration in past months and suggested the possibility of an agreement with Turkey to station a Turkish officer on the Greek island of Lesbos, and a Greek officer at the western Turkish port of Izmir.

Thursday’s talks are expected to also discuss the Israel-Hamas war, a contentious point on the agenda as Erdogan has shown no sign of abandoning his support of the Hamas group, whereas Mitsotakis has made a clear distinction between Hamas and the Palestinian people.

Issues that have brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war five times in as many decades are expected to stay off the agenda.

Erdogan’s last visit to Athens, in December 2017, was a disaster. He and then-Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos argued over the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which set the borders between the two countries.

Later, Erdogan and then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras traded accusations about the division of Cyprus. Erdogan blamed the Greek side for two failed rounds of talks to reunify the island in 2004 and 2017.

Source: Al Jazeera

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The Balkan Rowing Championship is slated to take place on the picturesque waters of the Meriç River in Edirne next year.

This comes hot on the heels of the city being chosen to host the European Under-23 Rowing Championship in September, promising a series of world-class events for rowing enthusiasts.

Nesim Iba, the President of the Rowing Club at TED Edirne College, highlighted the natural prowess of the Meriç River as an ideal setting for rowing competitions.

Iba, speaking on the city’s burgeoning reputation in the rowing world, emphasized the significant strides they’ve made, positioning Edirne as a key player in the sport.

Stressing the city’s newfound ability to host major international events, Iba expressed: “Our recent application to organize the Balkan Rowing Championship was accepted. Following the European Under-23 Rowing Championship in 2024, Edirne will once again take the stage as the host of the Balkan Championship.”

“As a prelude to these prestigious events, we collaborated with the Turkish Rowing Federation to organize the Turkish Rowing Championship. In March, it was the Turkish Rowing Championship; come September, it will be the European Under-23 Rowing Championship, followed by the Balkan Rowing Championship, all seamlessly integrated into the World Rowing Federation (FISA) calendar.”

Iba envisioned a surge in rowing activity on the Meriç River, highlighting: “The upcoming course to be constructed here will mark the first in the history of the republic and the easternmost course in Europe. It’s a unique feature that it will be naturally formed, making it distinct. The location is ideal; when the wind blows, there’s minimal disturbance in the river, allowing athletes to row easily.”

He sees the upcoming events in the city as a boon for the sport and a significant contributor to local tourism.

Anticipating a surge in international interest, he said: “This course will be recognized globally and host numerous events. Particularly, it is said that Scandinavian countries are inclined to favor this venue.”

“Consequently, it will bolster the city’s promotion and tourism. We confidently declare that Edirne is set to become the rowing capital. The national team will conduct their camps here, and over 40 training sessions and competitions across Türkiye will find their home in Edirne.”

Edirne is set to transform into a global hotspot for rowing excellence, with the Meriç River becoming a stage for thrilling competitions and a symbol of the city’s growing prominence in rowing.

The fluidity of the Meriç River is set to match the dynamism of the events it hosts, creating a legacy that extends far beyond the water’s edge.

Source: Daily Sabah

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Zaharoula Vassilaki, an organic farmer from Greece, gazes admiringly at a massive olive tree on her land, estimated to be over two centuries old. Despite being struck by lightning years ago, the tree continues to yield.

But climate change – in this case, the absence of deep winter – is proving too much for even this gnarled veteran to cope with.

“The climate has changed and the trees cannot cope with these big changes. We no longer have winter at all,” she told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In mid-November, the temperature in the Halkidiki region of Polygyros, northern Greece, was still over 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).

“I consider climate change the main challenge this season,” noted Nikos Anoixas, a board member of Doepel, the Greek national interprofessional organization for table olives.

“At this time, temperatures should be 10 degrees Celsius … the year is already lost, and we fear next year will be similar. I don’t even want to think what will happen if another such year follows,” Anoixas said.

Vangelis Evangelinos has been growing edible olives on his family land in Halkidiki, northern Greece, since childhood.

At 62, he does not recall adverse weather conditions such as the ones his area has endured this year – or such a poor crop – ever before.

“We’ve never had a year such as this,” Evangelinos told AFP, two months after the Thessaly region, to the south, was devastated by massive floods.

“The rainfall is intense and brief,” the opposite of what is needed to enrich the soil,” he said.

The warm weather has affected some 6 million trees in the region, according to producers and experts.

“This year, the phenomenon of ‘fruitlessness’ was very intense, but it is an issue that we have noticed mainly in the last five years,” said Vassilaki, 48.

The European Union’s olive production giants Italy and Spain have faced similar problems, pushing up prices.

Spain, the world’s biggest producer of olive oil, suffered a very difficult year in 2022, and drought this year has compounded the problem.

In Italy, this year’s olive harvest is down by an estimated 80%, according to producers.

The EU estimates global olive oil production will fall more than 26% in 2022-2023 compared to a year earlier, to just over 2.5 million tons.

In the EU itself, production is expected to drop 39%.

‘No winter at all’

“The old growers here say it is very important for the trees to rest in the winter. It takes about one to two months of good cold weather for the tree to rest … so that it can yield later,” Vassilaki said.

Athanassios Molassiotis, an agronomist and head of the arboriculture lab of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, said his team recorded an increase in temperature of two degrees during October, November and December 2022 compared to a year earlier.

This affected the olive buds “because we know that the tree bears fruit after cold winters, especially the Halkidiki variety, which has high requirements at low temperatures in winter,” he said.

“We found that in many trees, there was no flowering and therefore no fruit afterward,” Molassiotis said.

Halkidiki accounts for around half of edible table olives produced in Greece.

According to the regional Chamber of Commerce, more than 20,000 local producers cultivate 330,000 acres of olive trees in the area, generating an average of 120,000 to 150,000 tons of edible table olives annually.

More than 150 companies are active in olive processing and marketing, and more than 90% of the products produced are exported worldwide to Brazil, China, and Australia.

This year, however, the crop shortage has sometimes exceeded 90%, plunging sector entrepreneurs into despair.

‘Things will get worse’

“I’m afraid things will get worse in the future,” said Chamber President Yiannis Koufidis, noting the economic impact on growers has been “huge,” with a loss of some 200 million euros ($219 million) just in Halkidiki Prefecture alone.

In many cases, growers did not deem it worth the trouble to harvest their estates.

At the local olive processing unit, which also handles intake from across the country, management says production is down at least 60%.

A climate change study for the Halkidiki area in January showed the local average temperature is expected to increase by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius in coming years, according to the best-case scenario.

At worst, it could be 3 degrees.

Aristotelio University’s study also predicts less rain.

It warned that the overall “thermal stress” is ultimately expected to impact fruit quality.

And because Halkidiki is also one of Greece’s main tourism destinations, there is an added draw on the area’s water resources, said study author Christina Anagnostopoulou.

“Climate changes will happen. We need to learn and prepare to reduce the effects,” the climatology professor told AFP.

Koufidis said the Halkidiki chamber is working with the university to create a variant of the local olive variety that requires less wintry weather.

“It’s a very difficult project. But we can’t stand idly by,” he said.

Source: DailY Sabah

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If claims that the United Kingdom used its bases in the Greek Cypriot administration as a conduit for weapons transfers to Israel are true, this will not be welcomed by the Turkish Cypriot side, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Monday.

Tatar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that “The U.K., as a respected country, must not support such a massacre” and that the island will not welcome being used for Israel’s atrocities targeting Palestinians.

Tatar reminded us that the U.K. has to fulfill its responsibilities as a guarantor in exchange for which it got the bases.

“We condemn Israel’s attacks. As the Turkish Cypriot society, we voiced our disturbance at the highest level,” he said.

Tatar further said that the U.K. stood by during the massacre of 1963 by the extreme nationalist EOKA terrorist organization on the island when hundreds of Turkish Cypriots were killed.

“While Turkish Cypriots were being subjected to massacres, while our children were being taken alive to the graves and being shot, we always waited for the intervention of the British bases as the guarantor country, but that intervention never happened,” he said.

Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 40 U.S. planes, 20 U.K. cargo planes and seven cargo helicopters transported weapons, equipment and personnel to the U.K.’s Akrotiri air base in the Greek Cypriot administration.

Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said that the bases on the island were used by the U.K. and the U.S. for preparations for possible evacuations.

Meanwhile, Cyprus Mail reported on Nov. 21 that the number of soldiers at British bases in the Greek Cypriot administration and the Eastern Mediterranean has surged by around 1,000 after the start of the war between Israel and Palestine on Oct. 7.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had also announced on Oct. 13 that the country placed two warships, three military helicopters and some aircraft on its Cyprus bases to support Israel, increase deterrence and strengthen regional stability.

Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the U.K.

The U.K. has maintained two military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia since the island gained independence from Britain in 1960.

Source: Daily Sabah

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Türkiye and the European Union have affirmed their willingness to bolster their cooperation on several key issues like irregular migration, counterterrorism and visa liberation for Turkish citizens.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on Thursday met in Brussels for the second Türkiye-EU High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Security.

The pair exchanged views on respective policies and actions related to the prevention of irregular migration and discussed common approaches on a number of issues, including border security and the fight against migrant smuggling, a joint statement said following their meeting.

They also looked at how to enhance the cooperation of their respective migration and law enforcement agencies, the statement read.

While renewing their common desire to come to a successful conclusion in fulfilling the benchmarks under the Visa Liberalization Dialogue and to intensify cooperation to that end, they will, in the meantime, explore ways on travel facilitation for Turkish citizens through acceleration of visa issuance.

On security, they agreed to increase cooperation and mutual efforts on counterterrorism and the fight against organized crime. They agreed on strengthening cooperation in law enforcement.

Parties agreed to meet at the level of technical and senior officials regularly to review the progress on cooperation on the shared interests in the fields of migration and security.

Türkiye is an EU candidate country and an important EU partner for migration and security, the statement also read.

Turkish accession talks have been frozen since 2005 due to what Ankara calls political obstacles to its membership. But the transactional relationship between the pair deepened after they agreed on a deal in 2016 under which the EU gave billions of euros to Ankara to stop migrants coming to Europe at the height of the 2015 refugee crisis.

With the EU borders seeing another upsurge in migrant arrivals this year and Western nations fearing a fresh flux of Palestinian refugees as Israeli strikes continue pounding blockaded Gaza, the bloc is looking to revive and expand the deal.

Officials have expressed that Türkiye needs to be supported for the number of migrants it has taken in, but Ankara’s anti-Israel stance has recently strained relations, as well. Türkiye hosts over 3.8 million migrants, most of whom – 3.4 million – are Syrians who have been granted temporary protection status.

Irregular migration is a headache for Türkiye as it sits on the easternmost border of the Western bloc. Every year, thousands arrive in the country, either to stay illegally or to cross into Europe secretly. Türkiye deported a total of 124,441 irregular migrants last year, the highest in the country’s history.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced earlier this year that measures against irregular migration would be tightened in the upcoming period as public sentiment on refugees and migrants in Türkiye shifted.

Yerlikaya said in October that irregular migrants were searching for new routes due to Türkiye’s firm determination to stop them. “We have intelligence data, reports from source countries of irregular migration that shows smugglers advise migrants not to travel through Türkiye, citing our intense fieldwork to stop the migration.”

Source: Daily Sabah

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Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Tuesday that 1,034 wanted fugitives have been apprehended across the country within the scope of “Operation Circle.”

Yerlikaya said in a statement on his social media account that simultaneous operations were carried out in 81 provinces with 7,795 teams and 24,483 personnel at 4,158 residences and 4,348 locations where fugitives with search records were identified.

Highlighting that 1,034 individuals with arrest warrants were captured, Yerlikaya specified that the largest number were those accused of theft – 342, another 239 individuals were involved in the crimes of assaults, 148 in fraud, 13 were involved in murder, 43 in sexual crimes, 54 in robbery, 90 in drug trafficking, nine in membership of an armed terrorist organization, two suspected FETÖ members, and 94 were wanted for other crimes.

Yerlikaya emphasized that they would not allow fugitive criminals to roam the streets and disturb the peace of families, stating in his announcement: “I congratulate the governors, district governors, provincial gendarmerie commanders, provincial police directors, coast guard, and police and gendarmerie personnel participating in the operations.”

In a similar operation conducted last week, Turkish authorities apprehended 2,136 wanted fugitives, the minister said at the time.

Source: Daily Sabah

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The European Union should not set any conditions to modernize the customs union with Türkiye, which dates back to 1995, the country’s ambassador to the bloc, Faruk Kaymakcı said on Monday.

At a preparatory meeting in Brussels for the 80th Türkiye-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting, set for Dec. 19-20 in the Turkish capital Ankara, Kaymakcı commented on a new report on Turkish-EU political, economic and trade relations presented last week by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

The report contains important steps, but they do not give enough room for Turkish-EU relations to grow in important areas, according to Kaymakcı.

He stressed the importance of treating Türkiye as an equal candidate country, adding that there should be no conditions to starting negotiations on updating the 1995 EU-Türkiye Customs Union deal.

The modernization of the 1990s trade deal, which is limited to industrial goods and processed agricultural products, was often on the agenda in recent periods with other officials recently urging “swift action” to expand it to include vital areas such as services and e-commerce.

Kaymakcı also pointed to the need to facilitate issuing visas for Turkish nationals until visa liberalization is granted, as pledged under a 2016 deal on migrants.

Deeper cooperation in the fight against terrorism would also strengthen trust between the two sides, he said, adding that joint projects should be implemented for Syrian refugees to return home in a safe, voluntary and dignified way, a step long sought by Türkiye, which hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees.

Kaymakcı also pointed to Türkiye’s key role in the war in Ukraine waged by Russia and in solving issues in the Middle East.

The fact that NATO-EU relations are not at a desired level due to the Cyprus issue undermines Europe’s deterrence, one of the reasons for the war waged by Russia in Ukraine, he said.

Institutions such as the EU Parliament should not give fertile ground for supporting terrorist groups, and the lack of measures against terrorism within the EU causes a lack of trust in relations, Kaymakcı also said.

Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. An association agreement was signed in 1964, which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.

Source: Daily Sabah

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The United Kingdom and Greece were involved in a diplomatic spat Tuesday after London canceled a planned meeting of their prime ministers reportedly over the contested Parthenon Marbles.

The snub prompted Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis to accuse his British counterpart of trying to avoid discussing the topic.

Mitsotakis is visiting London and had been expected to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St. on Tuesday. He was due to raise Greece’s decades-old demand for the return of the ancient sculptures from the British Museum.

Late Monday Mitsotakis issued a statement to “express my annoyance at the fact that the British prime minister has canceled our planned meeting a few hours before it was due to take place.”

“Greece and Britain are linked by traditional bonds of friendship, and the scope of our bilateral relations is very broad,” Mitsotakis said.

“Greece’s positions on the matter of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart, together with the current major international challenges: Gaza, Ukraine, climate change and immigration. Whoever believes that his positions are well-founded and just is never afraid of engaging in a debate.”

Britain confirmed the two leaders would not meet and said Mitsotakis would hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden instead. It was unclear whether that meeting would happen; the BBC reported that the Greek leader had declined the invitation.

“The U.K.-Greece relationship is hugely important,” Sunak’s office said in a statement that notably failed to mention the disputed sculptures. “From our work together in NATO, to tackling shared challenges like illegal migration, to joint efforts to resolve the crisis in the Middle East and war in Ukraine.

“The deputy prime minister was available to meet with the Greek PM to discuss these important issues.”

Athens has long demanded the return of sculptures that were removed from Greece by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. The sculptures that originally adorned the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis have been displayed at the British Museum in London for over two centuries.

About half the surviving marble works are in London and the rest is in a purpose-built museum under the Acropolis in Athens. Appearing on British television Sunday, Mitsotakis compared the separation of the sculptures to cutting the Mona Lisa in half – a remark that annoyed the British government.

The British Museum is banned by law from giving the sculptures back to Greece, but its leaders have held talks with Greek officials about a compromise, such as a long-term loan.

But Sunak’s spokesman took a tough line Monday, saying the U.K. government had “no plans to change our approach, and certainly we think that the (British) museum is the right place” for the marbles.

“These were legally acquired at the time, they’re legally owned by the trustees of the museum. We support that position and there’s no plan to change the law which governs it,” said spokesman Max Blain.

“We have cared for the marbles for generations and our position is we want that to continue.”

Mitsotakis met Monday with U.K. opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, whose party leads Sunak’s governing Conservatives in opinion polls.

After Sunak’s meeting with the Greek leader was called off Labour said: “If the prime minister isn’t able to meet with a European ally with whom Britain has important economic ties, this is further proof he isn’t able to provide the serious economic leadership our country requires.

“Keir Starmer’s Labour Party stands ready.”

Source: Daily Sabah

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The conflict in Gaza is not a mere war; it goes beyond the concept of mutual fighting governed by the rules of war, according to the Turkish Parliament speaker.

“We are going through a time when a state, with the power it receives from some countries that support it, subjects women, children, the elderly and young people to genocide,” Numan Kurtulmuş said Thursday while hosting his Montenegrin counterpart Andrija Mandic at Parliament for talks between their delegations.

The pair chaired a meeting between their delegations.

Kurtulmuş decried the silence of world states to Israeli attacks in Gaza; however, it is “promising” to see widespread public support for Palestinians, referring to protests worldwide, particularly in Western states.

“U.N. Secretary-General Guterres’s using his authority to call the U.N. Security Council to duty should be seen as one of the last cries and screams on behalf of humanity,” he added.

On Wednesday, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter for the first time since he became the organization’s top official in 2017, as he urged the Security Council to act on the war in Gaza.

Guterres said in a letter to the council: “I urge the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. I reiterate my appeal for a humanitarian cease-fire to be declared. This is urgent.”

Kurtulmuş said Guterres’ call for the U.N. Security Council is a “crucial plea” for humanity.

The absence of an international mechanism and unconditional support from certain Western countries, notably the U.S., contributes to the Gaza crisis, he added.

Potential with Montenegro

Kurtulmuş congratulated Mandic for assuming the post of parliament speaker and highlighted the significance of his first visit abroad being to Türkiye.

He said 250,000 people of Montenegrin descent live in Türkiye, adding: “We see that these people form a good bridge between Türkiye and Montenegro. That is why we attach special importance to this visit.”

On bilateral ties with Montenegro, the Turkish Parliament speaker stressed the potential to boost trade, cultural and defense relations.

He expressed pleasure for Türkiye’s Yunus Emre Institute offering Turkish lessons at the Montenegrin Parliament, saying that it will positively impact bilateral ties.

Kurtulmuş also said ensuring trust and stability in the turbulent Balkans is Türkiye’s top priority. Having mutual dialogue and strengthened friendly relations is important to reduce potential regional tensions.

On his part, Mandic emphasized their commitment to enhancing economic ties and parliamentary relations with Ankara.

The Montenegrin delegation also visited the site bombed during the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

Source: Daily Sabah

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Awindow of opportunity exists for longtime rivals Türkiye and Greece to strengthen and normalize ties, Athens’ Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Tuesday.

During his talk at the London School of Economics, Gerapetritis answered Anadolu Agency’s (AA) questions on two-way relations, emphasizing the importance of a “deliberative approach” in foreign policy.

“I am very fond of the basic idea of deliberative processes in foreign policy and every aspect of life. I just aspire that anytime we have a dispute, it doesn’t eventually conclude in crisis,” he said.

Recognizing the fundamental differences between the two countries, he stressed the need for open discussions and resolution, underlining the significance of diplomacy in navigating disputes.

“We have jointly decided to leave aside our disputes,” Gerapetritis said, underscoring the belief that these differences should not hinder diplomatic dialogue.

Calm in Aegean

According to Gerapetritis, confidence-building measures in defense and military will be vital in improving relations.

On possible steps being pursued, he said the Greek government has appointed a diplomat to lead the confidence-building discussions between the two.

Pointing out the current calm in the Aegean Sea, he said it was “very important” to maintain this.

“What I keep on saying is that irrespective of whether we resolve our basic issues concerning delegation of military zones, it is by itself important to extend the period of calmness over the Aegean for as long as we can,” said Gerapetritis.

The Aegean dispute encompasses a series of interconnected controversies between Greece and Türkiye concerning sovereignty and associated rights in the region of the body of water between the two countries.

These conflicts have significantly strained Greek-Turkish relations since the 1970s and sometimes brought the two nations to the brink of military hostilities.

Despite opposition from some groups in both Greece and Türkiye, Gerapetritis stressed the imperative of working toward reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

“This is definitely an asset for our discussion, and I can see that there are some people and groups in Greece and Türkiye, as well, who are opposing the idea of rapprochement of the two countries.

“I expected this but respectfully disagree with it. We have to live together. We have to work hard to live in peace,” he said.

There has been a rapprochement in Turkish-Greek relations in recent months, encouraged by the goodwill and humanitarian assistance shown on both sides earlier this year when southeastern Türkiye was rocked by two deadly earthquakes and Greece suffered a tragic train incident.

Both sides have warned against steps and statements that could damage the current environment of trust as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to maintain the positive atmosphere after holding two rare face-to-face meetings.

Mindset change

The Greek foreign minister also argued that fostering good neighborly relations and mitigating the risk of tension or conflict should be prioritized over accelerating processes that may be divisive between Athens and Ankara.

“And I think it’s much better to be able to mitigate the risks of tension or war instead of trying to accelerate that process. And I think this is my responsibility toward the Greek citizens and especially with future generations,” he underlined.

Addressing the potential for increased collaboration, Gerapetritis revealed that the two nations were set to sign agreements in crucial areas.

“We have decided to focus not on things to separate us, but the things that actually unite us; for example, we have an ambitious political agenda that has agreements that will be signed in the near future concerning economy, tourism, education, culture.

“I think there is a different mindset in Türkiye-Greek relations. And, I think we should focus on win-win solutions to our issues and that’s why I’m working very hard with my colleagues.”

“I strongly believe in people-to-people diplomacy. We have to raise awareness among people concerning good neighborly relations,” Gerapetritis asserted.

Source: Daily Sabah

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