Foreign minister set to visit Greece next month

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Athens on Nov. 8, Turkish diplomatic sources have said amid efforts to improve relations between the neighbors.

The announcement follows a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York on Sept. 24, held on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session.

In remarks aboard his plane following a Balkan tour, Erdoğan said negotiations with Greece would proceed "on the basis of our holistic approach" regarding the Aegean Sea.

"We provided political support to this process together with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and our Foreign Ministry has initiated a comprehensive study on this issue," he stated.

"It is important that there is a will on both sides to define the problems, clarify their content and find specific solutions."

Fidan's upcoming trip marks the latest step in a diplomatic thaw between Türkiye and Greece. The rapprochement began with a NATO summit meeting between Erdoğan and Mitsotakis in July last year.

The leaders agreed to "open a new page" in bilateral relations, resulting in reciprocal visits and several cooperation agreements.

Erdoğan made his first trip to Athens in six years last December, while Mitsotakis visited Ankara in May.

Türkiye and Greece have a history of strained relations, often related to disputes over maritime boundaries and airspace in the Aegean Sea.