© Reuters. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shakes fingers with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan throughout a press convention on the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, December 7, 2023. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
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By Angeliki Koutantou and Tuvan Gumrukcu
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece and Turkey on Thursday agreed to reboot their relations, establishing a roadmap designed to usher in a brand new period of nearer ties between the 2 NATO allies however historic foes.
In a landmark go to of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Greece, the longtime sparring companions agreed to give attention to pursuing good neighbourly relations, maintain open channels of communication, search navy confidence-building measures to eradicate sources of stress, increase commerce volumes and work on points which have saved them aside, notably within the Aegean Sea.
“There is no issue between us that is unsolvable. So long as we focus on the big picture and don’t end up being like those who cross the sea and drown in the river,” Erdogan mentioned after a gathering with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens.
“We want to turn the Aegean into a sea of peace. Through the joint steps we will take as Turkey and Greece, we want to be an example to the world,” he added.
After customary verbal jousting over latest years, chilly relations between the 2 neighbours thawed markedly after Greece swiftly dispatched assist within the wake of a devastating earthquake in Turkey in February.
By Greco-Turkish requirements, Thursday’s summit was a exceptional lovefest with out priority, and a far cry from Erdogan’s final go to in 2017 the place each side reeled off a litany of historic grievances stretching again to the crumbling days of the Ottoman Empire over a century in the past.
The assembly of Mitsotakis and Erdogan went on longer than anticipated, and Mitsotakis addressed Erdogan as “Dear Tayyip”. Erdogan mentioned he anticipated to obtain Mitsotakis in Ankara.
The NATO allies wish to increase bilateral commerce quantity to $10 billion from $5 billion, whereas Erdogan mentioned each nations may gain advantage from high-level conferences held yearly.
‘HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY’
“Geography and history has dictated that we live in the same neighbourhood … But I feel a historical responsibility to utilise this opportunity to bring the two states side-by-side, just as our borders are,” Mitsotakis mentioned.
Greece and Turkey have lengthy been at odds over points together with the place their continental cabinets begin and finish, power assets, flights over the Aegean Sea, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus
However each nations wish to display that they’re prepared to restore their relations.
Turkey has been in search of EU membership for greater than twenty years. Since being re-elected in Might in a good vote amid an financial disaster, Erdogan has mentioned Turkey stays dedicated to bettering relations with its Western companions and allies.
Ankara has been working to attract international buyers again, whereas mending fences with regional and Western actors, a problem that has lengthy impacted the Turkish economic system.
Following a debt disaster that rocked the euro foreign money zone, Greece goals to regain its footing and seem as a pillar of jap Mediterranean stability in a geopolitical setting altering as a result of struggle in Ukraine and the Gaza battle.
On Thursday, Greece re-established an computerized visa system for Turkish nationals to go to 10 of its islands.
Mitsotakis mentioned conferences would proceed and an extra step within the relaunched bilateral dialogue may very well be coming nearer to a deal to demarcate continental cabinets and associated financial exploitation zones (EEZ) – when circumstances enable.
An offshore EEZ may very well be a precursor to exploration of oil or gasoline. Additional east, in direction of Israel, the jap Mediterranean basin has yielded a few of the world’s largest finds in recent times.
The 2 nations got here to the brink of struggle within the Nineteen Nineties, and in recent times have argued over power assets within the Jap Mediterranean, defence points, migration and the acquisition of fighter jets, which interrupted cooperation talks.
However “earthquake diplomacy” – recalling one other thaw beneath comparable circumstances in 1999 – seems to have turned the tide, once more.
Placing an upbeat tone, Erdogan mentioned Turkey and Greece ought to give attention to the positives, and fewer on the negatives.
“It will be much more beneficial for the future if we look at things from a glass half-full perspective,” Erdogan informed Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
