Erdoğan says Greek PM's visit aims to strengthen ties
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' upcoming visit to Türkiye presents an opportunity to enhance ties between Ankara and Athens.
"This visit is an important stage in Türkiye-Greece relations," Erdogan told a group of journalists in Istanbul on April 19.
The president said discussions during the meeting, scheduled for May 13 as per the Greek daily Kathimerini, will center on strategies to significantly improve bilateral relations.
The visit will follow a landmark meeting held last December between Erdoğan and the Greek premier, where both leaders expressed their commitment to open a "new page" in diplomatic relations.
The five-hour discussion, held on the sidelines of the first high cooperation council gathering between the two nations in seven years, marked a potential turning point in their historically strained relations.
During the meeting, Erdoğan and Mitsotakis signed a non-binding declaration of friendship and good neighborly relations. The agreement underscored the mutual intention to cultivate "a spirit of solidarity" amid shared challenges, while also reaffirming respect for each other's legal positions and endorsing the U.N. Charter as a cornerstone for maintaining peace and fostering friendly cooperation.
In remarks to journalists, Erdoğan also addressed the upcoming visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Türkiye on April 22, marking his first official trip to Türkiye in his capacity as president. The visit coincides with the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"We will discuss various political, military, economic and commercial matters during our meetings with Steinmeier," Erdoğan stated, underlining the importance of further strengthening relations between Germany and Türkiye.
In an earlier speech on April 18 in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan urged for increased action to halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
"One of the biggest massacres of the last century has been taking place in Gaza for 195 days," Erdoğan said during a joint press conference following talks with Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan.
In discussions, the leaders deliberated not only on enhancing bilateral relations but also on addressing the "atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories," Erdoğan said.
He also stressed the necessity for an urgent and permanent ceasefire, followed by immediate steps towards implementing a two-state solution.
"We must make more efforts to stop the massacres in Gaza," he stated. "This week, we saw that Western countries were able to react with a single voice against Iran's retaliation. The same actors now need to say 'stop' to Israel with a single voice."
Erdoğan's remarks come in the wake of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, following Tehran's unprecedented direct attack on Israel on April 13.
The attack, which involved hundreds of missiles and drones, was purportedly in retaliation for an earlier strike on Iran's Damascus Embassy, which killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan is expected to meet with Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul over the weekend, following the former's announcement during a parliamentary meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on April 17.
"The leader of the Palestinian cause will be my guest over the weekend," Erdoğan declared during the AKP meeting. "We will talk, pour out our grief to each other."
Erdoğan's support for Hamas garnered appreciation from the Palestinian group, with a statement of gratitude issued by Hamas following the president's remarks.
Before his visit to Istanbul, Haniyeh held discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Qatar. Fidan later disclosed that Hamas was committed to operating solely as a political entity following the establishment of the Palestinian state.
In the meantime, the ninth aid ship sent from Türkiye to Gaza has docked at Egypt's El Arish port, carrying 3,774 tons of humanitarian aid materials. Led by the Turkish Red Crescent, the aid includes emergency supplies such as food, baby supplies and sleeping bags. Departing from Mersin port on April 16, the aid will be transported to the Rafah border gate by trucks after unloading.
Upon completion of customs procedures, the aid will be delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
