Greeks, Turks explore ways for better ties
Senior diplomats from Greece and Turkey had their first exploratory meeting in Ankara yesterday to deal with the problems that have arisen from Turkish claims in the Aegean. Little information was provided to reporters at the end of the five-hour talks, other than the leaders of the two representations saying the meeting was «constructive» and «positive.» Perhaps more eloquent in political terms was the decision by the permanent representatives of Greece and Turkey to NATO to hold a joint reception in Brussels to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their joining the alliance. The joint ceremony had a clear symbolic character as the difference between the two countries, for 27 years following Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus, had brought other NATO countries to the brink of despair. In Ankara, the political director of the Greek Foreign Ministry, Anastasios Skopelitis and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal agreed that their next meeting will be in Athens in April. «We had a wide and constructive discussion with my Greek colleagues. We looked into a number of issues and we decided to continue,» Ziyal told reporters. He declined to give details of what was discussed. Asked whether the two sides had discussed Cyprus, Ziyal said that the discussion concerned issues of relevance to Greece and Turkey. He added that the exploratory dialogue had no deadline and that its aim was to promote Greek-Turkish relations. The talks dealt with the procedures, framework and substance of the problem, he said. The Greek side comprises Skopelitis and Foreign Ministry adviser Prof. Argyris Fatouros. The Turks are ambassadors Ziyal and Deniz Bulukbasi. It is unclear whether minutes were kept or whether Ambassador Skopelitis will summarize in a few pages what was discussed yesterday. Foreign Minister George Papandreou and his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, agreed on the exploratory talks last month. The meetings are to be held under a news blackout, apart from some general comments. Papandreou gained the lukewarm acquiescence of Parliament’s foreign affairs committee by saying that for Greece the only issue for discussion was the delineation of the Aegean’s continental shelf.
