Turkish, Greek foreign ministers hail 'new era' of relations

The foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey announced a new era of friendly cooperation after a high-level meeting in Ankara on Tuesday.

The two Mediterranian neighbors have long had tense relations, including over their maritime borders and the status of Cyprus.

But more recently they have sought to mend relations, evidenced by Greece's humanitarian aid in the wake of the devastating Turkish earthquakes earlier this year and Turkey's condolences after a fatal train crash in Greece.

"We have entered a new and positive era in our relations with Greece," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint news conference with his Greek counterpart. "We are ready to continue dialogue with our neighbor Greece without any preconditions, and to develop our relations in all fields based on common interests."

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Athens would consider supporting Turkey's bid for European Union membership, provided it meets the requirements regarding human rights and other areas.

"We don't have our heads in the clouds. We know that the distances that developed with the passage of time and the passions passed on from generation to generation cannot be erased with one stroke," Gerapetritis said. "But we have the disposition and the will to invest in candor and mutual understanding so as to seek common ground, break with established opinions and, where there are disagreements, at least not have them lead to crises." 

A roadmap for rapprochement

The two foreign ministers outlined a roadmap for improved relations going forward.

Turkey and Greece would continue to discuss a series of confidence-building measures and revive a stalled high-level cooperation council meeting as part of the agreement.

It would also see Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly New York City later this month.

Erdogan and Mitsotakis last met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

As recently as last May, Erdogan had implied he would never speak to Mitsotakis again; at that time, he was upset about Greece voicing reticence, citing security concerns, about Turkey's longstanding and faltering bid to acquire F-16 combat jets from the US.

At the meeting on Tuesday, Fidan thanked Greece for its assistance after the devastating earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people this year, and said that Turkey was "ready to help" as Greece battles weeks of deadly wildfires. The Greek offer of aid soon after the major quake was seen as a first step towards mending fences and restarting contact.

zc/msh (AP, AFP)