Three days of Greek-Turkish diplomatic meetings begin

The first day of the 3-day meetings between Greek and Turkish officials, culminating with the meeting of foreign ministers, begins today in Kavala, northern Greece.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis meets with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal. The two sides aim to agree at a road map to promote low-level cooperation and get more talks going on high-priority issues. To this effect, the two sides have submitted 23 proposals (15 by Greece, 8 by Turkey), such as a second cross-border bridge across the river Evros, a ferry route connecting Izmir and Thessaloniki and the railway connection between Thessaloniki and Istanbul. 

The two sides will also discuss reviving earlier working groups on cross-border commerce and cooperation agreements on tourism, telecommunications and the environment.

Ideally, at the end of the talks between Fragogiannis and Onal, two working groups will undertake to further advance the issues discussed. The aims may be modest, but are a reflection of the current difficulties and tensions in Greek-Turkish relations.