Erdogan in Athens announces "new era" in relations between Türkiye and Greece
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: Getty Images)
President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with his Greek counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou during his visit to Athens. The Turkish leader stated that a "new era" is beginning in the relations between the two countries, reported DW.
Erdogan told the Greek president that "the Türkiye-Greece strategic cooperation meeting will lead to a new era" in relations, adding that "we need to be optimistic, and this optimism will be fruitful in the future."
"We will discuss what steps going forward we can take on all issues after preparations have been made by the relevant ministers. We will proceed in a more logical way," the Turkish president noted.
Erdogan also stated that he aims to almost double the bilateral trade volume from $5.5 billion to $10 billion.
Sakellaropoulou emphasized that the natural disasters that affected both countries this year (forest fires, floods in Greece, and an earthquake in Türkiye) brought them closer.
"Perhaps more necessary than ever for Greece and Turkey to work together to enhance prosperity, to preserve peace, stability and respect for international law, and to promote good neighborly relations for the benefit of both our peoples and the wider region," she emphasized.
Greece-Türkiye conflict
Ankara and Athens have not had friendly relations for a long time, mainly due to competition in the Aegean Sea, particularly regarding the size of water territories and natural gas reserves. Turkey has been questioning the correctness of the distribution of maritime borders between the two countries for several years.
Erdogan also doubts the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, according to which most of the islands in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea belong to Greece (even those close to Türkiye).
Earlier, Erdogan did not shy away from sharp statements against Greece. In particular, the President of Türkiye boasted about the Turkish ballistic missile Typhoon, claiming that they could reach Athens.
Yesterday, the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would visit Athens on December 7 on a working visit. This is the first visit of the Turkish leader to Greece in six years.
