Ankara, Athens agree to enhance neighborly relations

ANKARA

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The defense chiefs of Türkiye and Greece have agreed to develop ties based on good neighborhood and friendship, the Turkish defense ministry has announced, following a meeting in Brussels on the sidelines of the NATO ministerial meeting.

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler had a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Alkiviadis Stefanis, at the NATO headquarters on June 15 during the alliance’s defense ministerial meeting, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

The ministry described the meeting between the two men as constructive and positive, stressing, “Ministers Güler and Stefanis agreed to develop the agenda based on good neighborly relations and friendship between Türkiye and Greece.”

Güler has been appointed Türkiye’s new defense minister by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who reshuffled his cabinet following May 14 and May 28 parliamentary and presidential polls. Former Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was elected to the parliament from the ranks of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), representing the eastern province of Kayseri. Güler was serving as the chief of General Staff before being appointed the defense minister.

The tension between Ankara and Athens defused over the past year, especially after the latter’s assistance in the aftermath of the devastating February earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in the southeastern Anatolian provinces of Türkiye.

Erdoğan has said he can meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12.

Türkiye has recently proposed to Greece to expand the moratorium for not holding military drills in the Aegean during the touristic season.

Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of differences in the Aegean Sea, including territorial waters, airspace and other disputed matters. Ankara also accuses Athens of continued violation of 1923 and 1947 treaties that stipulate demilitarized status to the Greek islands in proximity to the Turkish mainland.

Minister meets NATO chief, French and British colleagues

Güler also had other bilateral meetings at the headquarters in Brussels, the ministry said. He had a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, during which the two men discussed global and regional security matters.

Yaşar Güler also held separate talks with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace. Both ministers congratulated Güler on his new position in the cabinet while discussing the ongoing security issues in the region and the world.

Wallace is seen as one of the candidates to take the helm of NATO in case Stoltenberg’s tenure is not extended.