Türkiye, Greece agree to mutually support candidacies in int'l organizations

ANKARA

Türkiye and Greece decided to mutually support the candidacies of the two countries in international organizations, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 20.

Çavuşoğlu met with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Brussels on the sidelines of the International Donors Conference.

“We continue our solidarity after the earthquake and train accident. We have decided to mutually support some of our candidacies,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted after the meeting.

The meeting of the two ministers was held in a positive atmosphere and they reached an agreement to mutually support Turkish Ambassador Suat Hayri Aka’s candidacy for the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Greece’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Temporary Membership for the 2025-26 Term, said a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

“The election of Ambassador Suat Hayri Aka, the Permanent Representative to ICAO, will constitute the representation of our country in one of the highest-level positions in the U.N.-affiliated organizations after the former Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır became the Presidency of the U.N. General Assembly,” it added.

Despite a history of rivalry that goes back centuries and the strained ties in the past few years over the clash of interests in the Mediterranean, the two neighbors have stepped up for solidarity over deadly incidents in the past two months.

Greece was among the first European countries to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid on Feb. 6, a few hours after the massive earthquakes in southern Turkish provinces. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias paid a visit to Türkiye in a show of support after the quakes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on March 1, extended his condolences to Greece over a deadly train crash that has claimed at least 42 lives. Erdoğan sent a message to Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.