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.
Greek-Turkish relations, often tense, have been relatively normal since February 2023, when Greece sent rescue teams in the wake of two devastating earthquakes in eastern Turkey.
“The Greek government will persistently uphold the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the country within the framework of foreign policy principles,” it said.
Good relations between Greece and Turkey are a necessary condition for the improvement of Euro-Turkish ties, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Saturday
Greek Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis expressed his concern about the situation in the Middle East, in an interview with Al Arabiya published on Saturday.
Government sources on the Declaration of Friendship & Good Neighbourliness of Athens
They also pointed out that special emphasis is being placed on a positive agenda that is mutually beneficial. During the upcoming 5th Greece-Turkiye HLCC, the two sides are expected to sign agreements, memoranda and joint statements
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope for a fresh start in bilateral relations with Greece on Saturday. He stated that he hopes a new era will begin between the two countries and emphasized the need for more friendship and less enmity. Erdogan announced his upcoming visit to Greece scheduled for December 7th, where he plans to take a win-win approach to discuss bilateral relations and Turkey-EU relations. He stressed the importance of nurturing positive relations given the proximity and intertwined history of the two nations. Erdogan also mentioned the issue of external influences, pointing out that the US provides military equipment to Greece but not to Turkey. Despite this, he stated that Turkey will not back down and will seek dialogue with its neighboring country. Erdogan advocated for a diplomatic approach and highlighted the potential for collaboration on mutually beneficial subjects. The Greek-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council will take place in Athens on December 7th.
This move is the latest in a series of challenges by Ankara to Greek sovereignty, including the submission of claims to the United Nations, unauthorized overflights by Turkish fighter jets in the Aegean, and other escalations.
Talks were held in a positive atmosphere, noted the Greek Ministry of Migration & Asylum in its announcement.
"Britannica shows the entire 'Sea of Islands' as Greek territory," comments a post by the Turkish Maritime and Global Center for Strategic Studies, which Yaycı directs, calling the map used by the internationally renowned encyclopedia - in its electronic version - a "scandal".
"We have to deal with the issue with Greece without tensions," said Omer Celik
Greece is forecast to spend some €12.5 billion more on arms over the next four years amid a "window of opportunity" in ties with Türkiye, as announced by the country's defense minister on Saturday.
As the publication notes, Dimitris Avramopoulos is an old acquaintance and friend of the Turkish president who had the opportunity to chat briefly with the new foreign minister, Hakan Fidan.
