On Thursday, Greece and Turkey unveiled a roadmap to usher in a new era of ties between the two countries.
During Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece, the long-time partners agreed to focus on good neighbourly relations, maintain open channels of communication, increase trade and work on issues that have kept them apart, particularly in the Aegean Sea. Erdogan said after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens:
There is no issue between us that is unsolvable. So long as we focus on the big picture and don’t end up being like those who cross the sea and drown in the river.
Erdogan said the two countries could benefit from the annual high-level meetings. Mitsotakis noted:
Geography and history has dictated that we live in the same neighbourhood.. But I feel a historical responsibility to utilise this opportunity to bring the two states side-by-side, just as our borders are.
After Greece promptly sent aid following the devastating earthquake in Turkey in February, the chilly relations between the two neighbours have thawed considerably.
Greece and Turkey have feuded for decades over issues involving continental shelf boundaries, energy resources, flights over the Aegean Sea and ethnically divided Cyprus.
They came to the brink of war in the 1990s, and in recent years have argued over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean, defence issues, migration and the acquisition of fighter jets, which has interrupted talks on cooperation. But “earthquake diplomacy” – like another thaw under similar circumstances in 1999 – has turned the tide again.
Earlier, Erdogan said the two countries should focus on the positives and ignore the negatives. Erdogan said during a meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou earlier:
It will be much more beneficial for the future if we look at things from a glass half-full perspective.
Greece has received permission from the EU to renew a seven-day tourist visa for Turkish visitors to 10 islands close to the Turkish coast. Both countries want to show they are ready to restore relations.
Turkey has been seeking EU membership for more than two decades. After the debt crisis that shook the eurozone, Greece wants to regain its position and become a pillar of stability in a changing geopolitical landscape caused by the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza.
