President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Türkiye wants to develop cooperation with Greece on nuclear energy, adding that he hoped his visit to Athens would help improve ties between the NATO allies.
Türkiye and Greece agreed during a landmark visit by Erdoğan on Thursday to establish a road map designed to usher in a new era of closer relations.
Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Greece, where he met Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and several ministers, Erdoğan said the meetings were held in a “very positive” atmosphere.
He said Türkiye is considering allowing Greece to benefit from a nuclear power plant it plans to build near its Black Sea coast.
“We strive to develop and expand cooperation with Greece not only in the field of energy but also in all areas, including nuclear energy,” Erdoğan said.
“For example, we can provide Greece the opportunity (to benefit) from energy from our nuclear power plant to be built in Sinop (province).”
The Black Sea city is where Türkiye is planning to build its second power plant after Akkuyu, which is under construction on the Mediterranean coast.
Erdoğan said Mitsotakis was “warm” to the idea.
During his visit, Türkiye and Greece and signed more than a dozen cooperation deals on trade, energy and education and announced a road map for future high-level consultations aimed at avoiding crises.
“I believe that my visit, which took place in a very positive atmosphere, will open a new page in Türkiye-Greece relations,” Erdoğan said.
The ties between Ankara and Athens have long been marked by disputes over territorial sovereignty, migration and energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and the island of Cyprus.
Asked about resolving outstanding maritime disputes with Greece, Erdoğan said Türkiye’s stance on protecting its rights in the region had not changed but fair sharing of energy resources was possible.
“Comprehensive and fair sharing in the Eastern Mediterranean is possible. So long as we build the basis to make this happen, form correct road maps and don’t give provocations an opportunity,” he said.
He added that a regional conference of littoral states that Ankara proposes would be a “correct step” in forming this basis.
Source: Daily Sabah
