Greece says improving relations with Türkiye would contribute to regional prosperity

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Greece’s deputy foreign minister said improving relations with Türkiye would contribute to the prosperity of the wider region, media reports said Saturday.

Kostas Fragogiannis noted important steps have been taken to improve interconnectivity, facilitate trade, increase tourism flows on both sides and strengthen cooperation on civil protection issues, in reference to the Greek-Turkish Positive Agenda, the bilateral initiative of economic diplomacy.

“I would like to stress that the Positive Agenda is the government's strategic choice, which contributed substantially and decisively to maintaining open channels of communication and a climate of cooperation,” he said in an interview with the Parapolitika newspaper.

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Fragogiannis added: “As you already know, the climate in Greek-Turkish relations has reversed significantly. The leaders of Greece and Türkiye confirmed the positive climate and the will to maintain it during their recent meeting in New York.”

SAsked whether he is optimistic that the current positive climate between the two NATO allies can be maintained and even improved, he replied: “Yes, I am optimistic, because this is in everyone's interest.”

Fragogiannis underscored that the Mediterranean region and the wider world face profound challenges, which leave no room for confrontation and rivalries but urge cooperation and convergence.

“The deepening of the positive climate in Greek-Turkish relations and the further development of our bilateral relations contribute to the overall prosperity in the region. Of course, this does not mean that we are prepared to move in the slightest from our national positions, which we base on the principles of legality and international law,” he said.

On Sept. 20, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis affirmed the "positive climate" in relations during a meeting in New York.

The leaders also confirmed the roadmap and timeline of contacts between the two countries as agreed in a Sept. 5 meeting of foreign ministers in Ankara. It also includes meetings in October of deputy foreign ministers responsible for the political dialogue and the Positive Agenda, meetings in November for the confidence-building measures and the meeting of the Türkiye-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council on Dec. 7 in Thessaloniki.