Mitsotakis says Greece and Turkey have to ‘live in peace’
Greece and Turkey agreed on Thursday to mend their ties by promoting good neighborly relations, keeping communication channels open and focusing on low-level issues, such as culture and economy.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens in a visit that included the signing of the Athens Declaration and an agreement to work on issues which have caused tensions, mainly in the Aegean Sea.
“Greece and Turkey have to live in peace, find solutions [to their problems], and those that cannot be resolved, they should not lead to crises,” Mitsotakis said in comments to the press after the wide-ranging meeting, which lasted around an hour and a half.
“I feel a historical debt to bring the two countries close,” he continued, adding that Athens and Ankara managed to restore relations.
He confirmed that Greece will revive a plan offering Turkish citizens seven-day visas to visit 10 Greek islands near Turkey and said that talks between the two sides will continue in numerous areas such as economic and cultural cooperation.
The Greek premier also reiterated that Athens recognizes the delineation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and the continental shelf as the only point of difference between the two countries.
Mitsotakis also said he had been invited to Ankara and that he intended to visit Turkey in the spring.
Erdogan also appeared upbeat in his comments, speaking of the need to carry out “constructive dialogue” on the issues dividing the two countries and that Turkey and Greece want to double bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars.
“I say it openly. There is no problem between us so big that cannot be solved, as long as we move in good faith and focus on the big picture,” he said, adding that the countries should maintain open channels of communication.
He also called for improvements in the situation of the “Turkish minority” of Western Thrace. On this point, Mitsotakis later responded that the minority is officially recognized as Muslim by the Treaty of Lausanne.
The Turkish president proposed that Athens should hold high-level meetings annually.
He also called for a fair solution to Cyprus “based on the realities on the island,” which will be for the benefit of the region.
