Turkish-Greek ties enter into a new, positive era: Fidan

ANKARA

Alamy Photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stressed that ties between Türkiye and Greece have entered into a new and positive era following the elections in both countries, informing that the two neighbors will work on a road map that envisages talks on resolving problems stemming in the Aegean Sea.

Fidan welcomed Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis in the capital Ankara on Sept. 5 in their first meeting amid ongoing positive mood in the bilateral dialogue created by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in their meeting in Vilnius in July.

“We have entered into a new and positive era,” Fidan said, recalling that the two leaders have instructed the two foreign ministers to set a new frame to develop ties. Erdoğan and Mitsotakis will meet in New York in mid-September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Fidan said, recalling that they will chair a high-level cooperation council meeting later this year in Thessaloniki.

In the meantime, the deputy foreign ministers will meet in October to work on the implementation of a new road map, which includes the resumption of talks for resolving the differences on the Aegean Sea and for confidence-building measures.

“Opening dialogue channels and starting high-level contacts are positive developments. We have both confirmed this. We believe our difference can be resolved through dialogue,” Fidan stressed. The minister added that Türkiye believes that the problems in the eastern Mediterranean can be resolved through fair distribution of the resources.

The Greek top diplomat, for his part, explained that the road map on the bilateral ties has three priorities. “As the foreign ministers, we will discuss what we will do jointly in order to resolve our differences. Secondly, we will coordinate the political consultations by showing responsibility. And thirdly, we will create necessary grounds for the meetings between our leaders,” Gerapetritis stated.

On Türkiye’s efforts to revive its accession process to the European Union, the Greek foreign minister has underlined that Greece has always been supportive of Türkiye’s EU ties but on the condition that it fulfills the political criteria.

The two ministers also said they discussed steps to be taken against irregular migration through the Aegean Sea. “Fight against irregular migration is not a competition but cooperation. The Aegean Sea should not observe more deaths of migrants,” Fidan said.