Turkish tourists can now visit Leros, Lemnos, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo and Symi as of Tuesday part of the “visa express” program after the Aegean islands became part of the initiative.
Officials on the popular island of Rhodes have opened a new visa terminal for Turkish visitors as part of a diplomatic effort to ease long-standing tensions between the two cuntries.
This increase in arrivals coincides with the celebration of Seker Bayram, a Muslim festival observed from April 6th to April 14th. Nearly 1,000 visitors are expected to utilize the visa express during this period.
The influx is expected to increase in the coming days, with particular significance as it coincides with the implementation of the express visa issuance process for visitors from Turkey.
NATO members Greece and Turkey launched several initiatives last year to try and sidestep decades-old disputes – mostly over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the Aegean Sea – to focus on trade.
In a statement, the president of AEGEAN, Eftichios Vassilakis, was in favour of buying back these rights, which will cost 85.4 million euros, stating: "AEGEAN has both the liquidity and the funds for their acquisition."
